No. 10 – Shannon Tan – Shannon Tan, the 21-year-old from Singapore, has been a name to watch for a couple of years, but she really proved herself in 2025. Tan won two tournaments on the Ladies European Tour with six additional top-six finishes. That led to her winning Player of the Year on that Tour and moving up 39 spots from the beginning of 2025 to the end of 2025 in the Rolex Rankings.
No. 9 – Rio Takeda – The young Japanese phenom won only one LPGA Tour event in 2025, but she was a consistent force throughout the season. Takeda made 28/30 cuts with eight top-10 finishes. She was also in contention at two of the majors in 2025, the AIG Women’s Open and the U.S. Women’s Open. Takeda’s talent is clear, and she likely only needs to work on her decision making, but the sky is the limit coming off this season.
No. 8 – Melanie Green – I don’t think many people had Melanie Green as the dominant Epson Tour star of 2025, but she was fantastic. The Epson Tour rookie from The University of South Florida made 15/19 cuts, had 10 top-10 finishes and two wins. She won the Race for the Card and had her spot on the LPGA Tour in 2026 wrapped up early. Green also had three runner-up finishes in addition to her wins.
No. 7 – Maja Stark – Maja Stark undeniably had an inconsistent season, but her big moment was as important as any in this season. Stark won her second LPGA Tour event and first major title in a wildly impressive performance at the U.S. Women’s Open. Getting a major title was the clear biggest moment of the young Swede’s career.
No. 6 – Mao Saigo – After winning Rookie of the Year in 2024, Saigo took that next step into star territory with her win at The Chevron Championship, the first LPGA Tour and major title of her career. She also was in heavy contention at the U.S. Women’s Open and finished in the top 10 six times overall. Despite a mediocre middle of the season, Saigo bounced back with a solid finish to the season.
