Time Magazine listed its Top 100 Most Influential People in Sports for 2026, and two LPGA Tour stars made the list.
The top two ranked players in the Rolex Rankings, Nelly Korda and Jeeno Thitikul were honored by Time as two of the most influential people in sports. Only one men’s golfer, Rory McIlroy, made the list.
Thitikul, the No. 2 player in the world, was listed in the Titans section alongside McIlroy, Victor Wembanyama, Aaron Judge and Alex Morgan. Time writer Sean Gregory wrote:
“Thitikul is still seeking her first major championship; her chase for that elusive title is one of the most compelling storylines in her sport.”
Thitikul is just 23-years-old and has nine wins on the LPGA Tour, including two wins at the CME Group Tour Championship. Already, Thitikul is one of the highest earning players in the history of the Tour and has been consistently ranked in the top two of the Rolex Rankings.
Nelly Korda is the other player listed by Time Magazine. Korda was listed alongside new Los Angeles Rams superstar Myles Garrett, Stephen Curry and Prince Harry in the Leaders category.
Korda is inarguably the face of the LPGA Tour, especially after winning her fourth major championship of her career this week in Los Angeles. Gregory wrote:
“Few athletes can sizzle quite like Nelly Korda, the daughter of Czech tennis pros who raised a golf star in Florida…Korda has endorsement deals with Nike and Delta, has appeared in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, and in February added Upper Deck, the sports-collectibles company, as a sponsor.”
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