The Founders Cup is back in a new location and a new slot on the calendar. This tournament is picking up mostly for the Drive On Championship, which took place during the second weekend at the same course, Bradenton Country Club. Here are the five players most likely to win the 2025 Founders Cup:
No. 5 – Megan Khang – Khang had a strong showing at Bradenton Country Club in 2024, coming in third place, three strokes back of the two playoff participants. Though she didn’t have a great showing in the first event of the season, expect a nice week from Khang this week on a course she is comfortable on.
No. 4 – Ayaka Furue – Ayaka Furue did not have a strong start to the season, but she is still a safe bet to be near the top of a leaderboard every time she is in the field. She had a terrific showing at Bradenton Country Club last year, finishing in the top five. Furue is so consistent, it is always a good bet to have her in any set of predictions.
No. 3 – Lydia Ko – Ko had a solid start to the season in Orlando, getting into the final group on Sunday and finishing sixth. Now she comes to a course where she probably has some conflicted feelings. Ko played fantastic golf, especially on Sunday here, with a chance to clinch the LPGA Hall of Fame. Then Nelly Korda made an incredible comeback to chase her down and defeat her in a playoff. Regardless there is no reason to believe Ko won’t succeed here. She’s in good form and has that great result.
No. 2 – Minjee Lee – Lee said in her press conference this week that she didn’t have any expectations heading into last week’s tournament, and she doesn’t this week either. That could work out for a player who had a terrible 2024 and through one week is playing a lot more freely. Lee made the change to a long putter last week and it worked out. Lee, who was one of the worst putters on tour in 2024, had the least putts in the field last week and was by far the strongest in strokes gained putting.
No. 1 – Nelly Korda – There’s really no doubt who the favorite is, and for good reason. Korda is returning to her hometown, where her historic 2024 kicked off. This was the first win of seven for Korda last season and it took an eagle and birdie on the final two holes to achieve it. She will have the crowd behind more than usual and she is in fantastic form coming off a second-place finish last week where she came from behind to almost win. Bet heavily on Korda.
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