Jeeno Thitikul – Photo by Max Bechtoldt – Women’s Golf Daily News
The LPGA Tour is back in the United States this week at the Fortinet Founders Cup in the Bay Area of California. Here are our picks for the five most likely players to win:
No. 5 – Mimi Rhodes – There’s a lot to love about what Mimi Rhodes is doing on the golf course right now. Rhodes has played in three worldwide events so far this year, placing well in each of them and finishing top-10 in two of them. Rhodes figures to be one of the most prominent rookies on the LPGA Tour in 2026, and this is a great chance for her to establish herself as a new star.
No. 4 – Nelly Korda – Korda has been on a long break since her somewhat controversial win at the Tournament of Champions. That isn’t anything new to her though, as she performed fantastically with plenty of rest in 2024, winning four times in a row after a long layover. Korda showed a lot of great signs in Orlando, hitting excellent approach shots and putting better than she did at any point in 2025. Bet big on the No. 2 player in the world.
No. 3 – Auston Kim – There hasn’t been any players on the LPGA who have started off better than Kim in the early stages of 2026. Kim already has three top-20 finishes on the LPGA Tour this season with two finishes in a row in the top three. The level of competition certainly rises this week, but the kind of form Kim is in should give a lot of confidence to the third-year player looking for her first-career victory.
No. 2 – Andrea Lee – I don’t think there is a more underrated player in the world of women’s golf currently than Andrea Lee, who returns to her home state and the region where she played college golf at Stanford. Lee is so consistent, already with two top-15 finishes in the young LPGA Tour season. She is the third highest ranked American in the world currently, and it is easy to see her being competitive this week.
No. 1 – Jeeno Thitikul – It is just so hard to pick against the top ranked player in the world at the current time. Thitikul has played three times this season and already has a win and an additional top-10 finish. It feels a bit too easy to pick the best player in the world every single week, but on a neutral course, where no player has any previous experience, I will be safe this week.
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