World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul smiles with the CME Group Tour Championship trophy after her dominant 2025 season victory. (Photo: LPGA Tour / Getty Images)
The 2026 LPGA Tournament of Champions kicks off the new season on Jan. 29 at Lake Nona. Here is your complete guide to the course, celebrities, broadcast schedule, and storylines to watch.
The 2026 LPGA Tour season officially kicks off this Thursday as players return to the course at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida. The Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions has established itself as women’s golf’s signature opener, uniquely combining the LPGA Tour season debut with a one-of-a-kind competition in a Pro-Am setting.
This year’s Tournament of Champions presents the strongest field in the event’s history, highlighted by World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul making her highly anticipated TOC debut and Olympic gold medalist Nelly Korda looking to pick up her first win since 2024. The event also features a celebrity division including Joe Pavelski, Albert Pujols, and Annika Sörenstam, among others.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 LPGA Tournament of Champions.
2026 Tournament of Champions: Key Information
| Detail | Information |
| Event | Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions |
| Dates | January 29 – February 1, 2026 |
| Location | Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, Orlando, FL |
| LPGA Purse | $2.1 million |
| Celebrity Purse | $500,000 |
| Defending Champion (LPGA) | A Lim Kim |
| Defending Champion (Celebrity) | Joe Pavelski |
| Field Size | 39 LPGA professionals |
How to Watch the 2026 LPGA Tournament of Champions
The 2026 LPGA Tournament of Champions will be televised nationally on Golf Channel, NBC, and Peacock.
TV Schedule
-
Thursday, Jan 29: 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM ET (Golf Channel)
-
Friday, Jan 30: 11:30 AM – 2:30 PM ET (Golf Channel)
-
Saturday, Jan 31: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET (NBC / Peacock)
-
Sunday, Feb 1: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET (NBC / Peacock)
Streaming: All rounds available on Peacock.
2026 Tournament of Champions LPGA Field
The 2026 TOC boasts a 39-player field of LPGA pros—the largest in tournament history. Players who won an LPGA tournament during the 2024 or 2025 seasons are eligible to compete.
Top Players to Watch
Jeeno Thitikul (World No. 1) — TOC Debut
Jeeno Thitikul makes her much-anticipated debut in the season opener after becoming the world’s top-ranked player. She had skipped the Tournament of Champions in previous years, but she arrives in Orlando ready to play.
The 22-year-old Thai star dominated in 2025:
-
Scoring average: 68.68 (an all-time LPGA record, surpassing Annika Sörenstam’s 68.70 from 2002).
-
Victories: 3 (Mizuho Americas Open, Buick LPGA Shanghai, CME Group Tour Championship).
-
Awards: Rolex Player of the Year, Vare Trophy.
Thitikul’s 2025 had its highs and lows: a gut-wrenching playoff loss at the Evian Championship and a 72nd-hole four-putt at the Kroger Queen City Championship, but also an epic comeback win at the Buick LPGA Shanghai where she rallied from four shots down with five holes to play.
“I just keep telling myself that no matter whatever happens in a big event… I’ve got to make it for what I have done by myself,” Thitikul said after Shanghai. “I will want to be in that moment again when it’s my time.”
The only missing piece? A major championship. Thitikul is the favorite to secure her first major in 2026.
Nelly Korda (World No. 2)
Nelly Korda hopes for redemption in the 2026 LPGA season following a winless 2025—quite the drop from her roaring 2024 run that saw seven victories, including five straight.
The 27-year-old Olympic gold medalist notched seven top-5 finishes in 2025, with two runner-up efforts, but she didn’t visit the winner’s circle. She ceded her World No. 1 position to Thitikul in August.
Korda has a strong history at the TOC:
-
2021: Winner
-
2025: Runner-up (lost to A Lim Kim by two strokes)
“I just feel like it was kind of back and forth a lot, and I grew a lot mentally,” Korda said regarding her 2025 season. “Success is never linear.”
Lydia Ko (LPGA Hall of Famer)
Lydia Ko brings Hall of Fame credentials—and home-course knowledge—to the 2026 TOC. The Lake Nona resident is a past winner of the Tournament of Champions (2024) and has every nuance of the Tom Fazio design memorized.
One of the most storied careers in LPGA history belongs to the New Zealand star:
-
20+ LPGA victories
-
Multiple major championships
-
3 Olympic medals (Silver 2016, Bronze 2020, Gold 2024)
-
LPGA Hall of Fame inductee
A Lim Kim (Defending Champion)
A Lim Kim went wire-to-wire at the 2025 TOC, staving off a final-round charge from Nelly Korda with three birdies in her last four holes. The 2020 U.S. Women’s Open champion looks to become the first player to go back-to-back since the event began in 2019.
Rose Zhang
Rose Zhang continues to establish herself as one of the LPGA’s most promising young stars. The 21-year-old Stanford grad has two LPGA wins and possesses a power-and-precision combination that is a perfect fit for the demanding Lake Nona track.
Notable Absences
Minjee Lee (World No. 3), Grace Kim, and Hannah Green will sit out the TOC to start their seasons in Asia.
2026 Tournament of Champions Celebrity Field
The celebrity field at the 2026 LPGA Tournament of Champions is one of the most coveted invitations in professional sports. Celebrities compete for a separate $500,000 purse using a Modified Stableford scoring format.
How Modified Stableford Scoring Works:
-
Eagle: +5 Points
-
Birdie: +3 Points
-
Par: +2 Points
-
Bogey: 0 Points
-
Double bogey or worse: -1 Point
This format rewards aggressive play and casuals alike, creating wild leaderboard swings—perfect for a pro-am.
Celebrity Field Highlights
Joe Pavelski (Defending Champion)
The NHL All-Star and former San Jose Sharks captain was the 2025 champion in the celebrity division and returns as the favorite. Pavelski played 17 seasons in the NHL and brings that championship mindset to the course.
Annika Sörenstam (LPGA Legend)
The 10-time major winner and Lake Nona resident plays in the celebrity division. Before Thitikul broke it in 2025, Sörenstam held the LPGA scoring average record (68.70) for 23 years—a fun storyline every time they tee it up in the same event.
Brandi Chastain (TOC Debut)
The FIFA Women’s World Cup winner and two-time Olympic gold medalist is competing in her first Tournament of Champions. Chastain’s celebration after scoring the 1999 World Cup-winning penalty kick remains one of the most recognizable images in American sports history.
Albert Pujols (MLB Hall of Famer)
The three-time MVP and World Series winner possesses Major League Baseball’s top resume at Lake Nona. Pujols’ patience at the plate translates into a consistent golf game.
Full 2026 Celebrity Roster Includes:
-
Sports Icons: Joe Pavelski, Albert Pujols, Brian Urlacher, Emmitt Smith, Roger Clemens, Blake Griffin, Brandi Chastain, Jeff McNeil, John Smoltz, Derek Lowe, Mardy Fish.
-
Golf Legends: Annika Sörenstam.
-
Entertainment: Alfonso Ribeiro, Don Cheadle, Michael Peña, Timothy Simons, Wells Adams, Joey Graziadei, Dylan Dreyer.
Tournament of Champions Concert Series
The Lake Nona Boxi Park will host an exclusive three-night concert series as part of the 2026 TOC.
-
Tuesday, Jan 27: The Beach Boys
-
Thursday, Jan 29: Ella Langley
-
Saturday, Jan 31: Kelly Clarkson
Lake Nona Golf & Country Club – Course Overview
The Tournament of Champions has been held at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club since the tournament debuted. The Tom Fazio championship course is considered one of America’s premier private golf clubs.
-
Designer: Tom Fazio
-
Par: 72
-
Yardage: 6,600+ yards (LPGA setup)
-
Location: Orlando, Florida
The layout meanders through native Florida vegetation with strategic water hazards and immaculate conditioning.
2026 LPGA Season: What’s New?
The LPGA season begins with the TOC and brings plenty of changes:
-
Record Purses: $132 million total prize money (up from $131M in 2025).
-
Expanded TV Coverage: Every round of every LPGA event will be televised live for the first time since Golf Channel began covering the tour in 1995.
-
New Events: Aramco Championship at Shadow Creek (Las Vegas).
-
Major Venues: U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera; KPMG Women’s PGA at Hazeltine.
5 Storylines to Watch
-
Thitikul’s TOC Debut: World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul plays in her first Tournament of Champions. Can she begin 2026 the way she ended 2025?
-
Korda’s Comeback: Nelly Korda failed to win last year after winning seven times in 2024. Having placed runner-up and won the TOC in the past, 2026 could be her redemption year.
-
Record Field Depth: With 29 different tournament winners in 2025, the TOC field has never been this deep. The parity of last season promises a competitive weekend.
-
Celebrity Competition: Newcomer Brandi Chastain joins past champions Jeff McNeil and Joe Pavelski, along with golf legend Annika Sörenstam. The Modified Stableford format always delivers drama.
-
Home-Course Advantage: Lydia Ko and Annika Sörenstam return to familiar fairways. While neither was in contention at the Gainbridge LPGA event held here previously, local knowledge always counts at the TOC.
Final Thoughts
The 2026 LPGA Tournament of Champions embodies everything the LPGA Tour is today—a world-class field and an elite women’s sporting event featuring unique entertainment options.
With Thitikul making her debut, Nelly Korda looking to avenge her loss, and a star-studded field from the worlds of sports and entertainment, this week at Lake Nona will bring exactly what makes the TOC a must-watch season opener. The 2026 LPGA season starts here.
