The LPGA Tour concluded its 75th season on Sunday, and World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul finished with a bang, winning the CME Tour Group Championship for the second consecutive season.
Thitikul highlights a group of players with interesting seasons, the great, the good, the bad and the ugly.
This isn’t a list of the top 10 seasons, rather a list of some of the most unique seasons, from winning to falling off the face of the golf map.
Here’s our list of 10 of the most notable seasons
NELLY KORDA: World No. 2 Korda didn’t win an event all season. Still hard to fathom. Crazy, especially when you consider there were a record 29 different winners and the fact she won seven events last year. Statistically, she had another great season. She made the cut in all 18 events, had 18 top 10s, including a pair of second-place finishes. She just didn’t raise any trophies.
JEENO THITIKUL: Thitikul took over the No. 1 spot in the world from Nelly Korda in August, and hasn’t looked back. The 22-year-old Thai star won two events (one of only two players to win multiple times this season) and a plethora of awards, including the lowest scoring average in tour history at 68.681, breaking Annika Sorenstam’s record set in 2002. She was named player of the year, which she locked up with winning the CME Tour Group Championship and the $4 million.
CHISATO & AKIE IWAI: The Japanese twins and LPGA rookies stormed onto the scene with fantastic play and fun. They both won an event on tour and captured hearts with their smiles and fun ways. These rising stars both ended the season as the most fashionably dressed at the Rolex Awards, with different versions of tuxedos. They are a huge part of the future of this tour, and that’s a great thing.
MIYU YAMASHITA: At the last event of the year, this Japanese star was the only golfer who had a chance to steal the player of the year award from Jeeno Thitikul. Yamashita won a major at the AIG Women’s British Open and followed up with a victory in the Maybank Championship, becoming one of two golfers to win multiple times. She’s had the best season of the talented group of Japanese newcomers.
CHARLEY HULL: The English superstar says what she means, rocks all the red carpets and has a stellar game to match. She battled many injuries throughout the season and still had one of the best of her career. She won the Kroger City Queen Championship for her third career win. After a second-place finish at the AIG Women’s British Open, she’s surely extra motivated to get it done in England next year.
LEXI THOMPSON: Playing part-time seems to suit Lexi Thompson just fine. Thompson played 12 events, made the cut in eight and had two top-10s. She still made the CME Group Tour Championship field of 60 and finished tied for 19th. She will get married to her fiancee Max Provost in 2026, so life is good.
ROSE ZHANG: Zhang burst onto the scene in 2023, winning in her LPGA debut. She has two career wins but hasn’t hoisted a trophy since 2024. She battled a neck injury this year and takes long stretches of time off to work on her degree at Stanford. She made seven cuts in 14 events and had a pair of top 10s. Still, she’s trying to find that form that once had people comparing her amateur career to that of Tiger Woods.
LOTTIE WOAD: Woad left her star-studded amateur career behind this summer when she earned her LPGA Tour card through the LEAP program (LPGA Elite Amateur Program). She won in her professional debut at the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open. She’s made six of eight cuts and made the CME Group Tour Championship field, finishing tied for 19th. What a start for Woad, who will spend her offseason trying to obtain her driver’s license and buying a car.
LILIA VU: After winning two majors and player of the year in 2023, Vu has struggled with back issues. She’s had some successes (a second and third place finish this year) and frustrations (she made only eight cuts in 19 starts) as she tries to reclaim the game that once had her at World No. 1.
DANIELLE KANG: What happened to the major winner? The 33-year-old Kang has battled both health issues and her game. She’s fallen to 584th in the world. She played in 18 events and made only six cuts.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
