We are halfway through the LPGA Tour season, so let’s take a look at some of the best from the 2026 year so far:
PLAYER OF THE YEAR – NELLY KORDA
There isn’t a whole ton of mystery to who the LPGA Tour Player of the Year is. She probably doesn’t have to play one more time this year and is safe to win it. Korda has four wins, two major championships, three runner-up finishes and eight top-10 finishes in eight solo starts. She’s been as dominant as any athlete in the world in 2026 and has looked genuinely unstoppable at times. This is the best Korda’s game has ever looked, including 2021 where she won four times including a major plus the Olympic gold medal and 2024 where she won seven times. Korda has stamped her place as the player of the decade and the biggest star in the sport.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR – YOUMIN HWANG
Last year was an embarrassment of riches in the rookie class, this year hasn’t quite been as explosive. There is an argument for Yana Wilson, the only rookie with a win in 2026, but Hwang has been the most consistent of the rookies this season. Hwang makes the cut almost every week, and has five top-20 finishes in 11 starts. She was also in great position at the season-opening event, before her game fell apart on the 17th hole Saturday mostly thanks to the extreme weather. Her performance on the hole led tournament officials to determine the course was unplayable and delay the event, which ultimately led to it being shortened to just 54 holes.
BREAKOUT PLAYER OF THE YEAR – LOTTIE WOAD
In a year mostly dominated by superstars, there hasn’t been a lot of space for breakout players. Lottie Woad was already a well-known star coming into her first full season on the LPGA Tour, but she has only made that status more secure. Woad has a win and a runner-up finish and ranks No. 6 in the Race to the CME Globe standings. Not only does Woad have multiple events where she has been in serious contention, she also has five overall top-10 finishes and just one missed cut. Woad is clearly a player here to stay.
PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR – LAUREN COUGHLIN – ARAMCO CHAMPIONSHIP
Nelly Korda’s dominance at Chevron is tempting to put here, but Coughlin’s win at Shadow Creek was one of the best single-tournament performances in years. -7 almost makes no sense as a score at the event where only four players overall finished under par. Coughlin cruised to a five-stroke victory and really never took her foot off the gas pedal. All of that while playing with Korda, who was in prime form. Considering the course difficulty, the final score, the margin of victory and the quality of field, this is the best performance of the season.
COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR – HANNAH GREEN
Green didn’t have a necessarily bad 2025 coming off the best season in her career in 2024, but it was a bit of a letdown. I don’t think anyone saw the beginning of her 2026 coming in the fashion that it did. While I’m only really counting LPGA Tour play here, it is notable that she won twice on the LET in her home country, Australia. She also has two wins on the LPGA Tour though, including her third-career title at the JM Eagle LA Championship. Green has always been a player that goes through streaks, both positively and negatively. She has gone through one of those positive streaks in 2026, ranking No. 5 in the CME Standings, No. 3 in the Player of the Year and reaching a career-high top five in the Rolex Rankings. It has been a terrific first half for Green.
MOMENT OF THE YEAR – NELLY KORDA’S WIN AT THE RIVIERA
Nelly Korda’s win at The Riviera in the U.S. Women’s Open’s impact probably won’t be known in the immediate future, but this was a massive moment in the sport. The biggest star in the game, winning her national championship, one that made even her, with three major championships under her belt, nervous. Korda’s memorable lip in that nearly slid out to win will be replayed for years to come. It was clear that winning this event meant more to Korda than any other win in her career, and doing it on such an iconic course was just the cherry on top.
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