(Orlando, Florida, USA) – World No. 1 “Jeeno” Atthaya Thitikul, together with four Thai golfers—“Patty” Patty Tavatanakit, “Proud” Chanettee Wannasaen, Jasmine Suwannapura, and “Mo” Moriya Jutanugarn—are set to tee off at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, the opening event of the 2026 LPGA Tour season. The tournament will be held in Florida, USA, from January 29 to February 1.
The Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions is an invitational event featuring only LPGA Tour winners from the past two seasons, with a total of 39 players competing. The field is joined by celebrities from various industries. The tournament will take place at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, near Orlando, Florida, with a total purse of USD 2.10 million (approximately 65.3 million baht).
The defending champion is A Lim Kim of South Korea. The Thai contingent includes world No. 1 Atthaya Thitikul, along with Patty Tavatanakit, Chanettee Wannasaen, Jasmine Suwannapura, and Moriya Jutanugarn.
In the latest update, Atthaya Thitikul, a seven-time LPGA Tour winner, will be making her first appearance at this event. In the previous season, she claimed three victories—the Mizuho Americas Open, Buick LPGA Shanghai, and the CME Group Tour Championship. She also recorded 14 top-10 finishes from 20 starts, the most on tour, and captured multiple accolades, including LPGA Player of the Year, Vare Trophy (lowest scoring average), and the highest single-season earnings in LPGA Tour history.
Chanettee Wannasaen, a two-time LPGA Tour winner, will compete in the tournament for the third time, having finished tied for 32nd in 2024 and 32nd in 2025. Last season, she made 24 starts and posted three top-10 finishes.
Patty Tavatanakit, a two-time LPGA Tour winner and major champion, will make her fourth appearance, following finishes of T13 in 2022, 28th in 2023, and T20 in 2025. In the previous season, she competed in 22 events and recorded three top-10 finishes.
Jasmine Suwannapura, a three-time LPGA Tour winner, will play in the event for the fifth time, with past finishes of 26th in 2019, 17th in 2020, T17 in 2021, and 28th in 2025.
Meanwhile, Moriya Jutanugarn, also a three-time LPGA Tour winner, will make her sixth appearance, with her best result being a tie for fourth in 2019. Last season, she competed in 17 events and recorded one top-10 finish.
The tournament field also features many of the world’s top players who have won on the LPGA Tour over the past two seasons, including world No. 2 Nelly Korda (USA), Lilia Vu, Rose Zhang, Angel Yin, Jennifer Kupcho, Yealimi Noh, Austin Ernst, Lauren Coughlin, and Bailey Tardy.
From Asia, the field includes Miyuu Yamashita of Japan, a major champion and 2025 LPGA Rookie of the Year, along with Rio Takeda, Nasa Hataoka, twin sisters Akie and Chisato Iwai, and major champions Mao Saigo, Ayaka Furue, and Yuka Saso.
South Korea is represented by defending champion A Lim Kim, as well as Lee Somi, Im Jin-hee, Yu Hae-ran, Amy Yang, and Hwang Yu-min. Other global stars include Lydia Ko (New Zealand), Brooke Henderson (Canada), Yin Ruoning and Miranda Wang (China), Charley Hull and Lottie Woad (England), and a strong Swedish contingent led by Maja Stark, Linn Grant, Madelene Sagström, Linnea Ström, and Ingrid Lindblad.
For more information: www.lpga.com
Photo credit: LPGA/Getty Images
