The conclusion of the AIG Women’s Open on Sunday marks the end of golf’s major season. This is unfortunate, as we won’t see another major tournament until the Masters begins in the second week of April next year.
Event Context
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Player Focus
This season, Nelly Korda ranks third in earnings with an impressive total of $4.59 million, largely due to her victories in the first two major tournaments. Notably, Korda outperformed the men’s world No. 1, Scottie Scheffler, who earned $4.54 million.
Another standout on the LPGA top-10 list is Haeran Ryu from Korea, a two-time major champion, with earnings of $3.72 million.
These remarkable achievements make them strong candidates for Major Player of the Year. In fact, if we adjust their earnings by 55.31%—the difference in prize pools—they would rank even higher, with Korda at $7.13 million and Ryu at $5.77 million.
While the statistics lean towards Korda for the Major Player of the Year title, my vote goes to Ryu. The key factor is that Ryu competed in just four out of five major events, missing the US Women’s Open for a necessary procedure back in South Korea. Despite starting the season with an injury, she excelled. Conversely, Korda’s missed cut at the Amundi Evian Championship works against her.
Highlighting the PGA Tour’s premier week, the event features Arjun Atwal, who in 2010 became the only Indian player to achieve victory. In 2024, Aaron Rai joined this distinguished group.
Beyond the sentimental significance, this week stands out as a rare occasion where the top of the leaderboard is just as crucial as the competitive struggle for positioning among those hovering around the 70th spot in the FedEx Cup standings.
Team Analysis
Players who secure a spot within the top 100 by the conclusion of The RSM Classic in November will earn full PGA Tour status for the 2027 season.
