No. 5 – Lottie Woad – Hard to draw up a better start to Woad’s professional career than she had in 2025. As an amateur, she won on the LET in Ireland, then she nearly won the Evian Championship with a furious Sunday comeback. She turned professional after that, and won her first event as a pro at the Scottish Open. She cooled down after the European swing, but she established herself on the professional level as a star, and should hit the ground running in 2026.
No. 4 – Grace Kim – Grace Kim won her second-career event and first major in by far the most exciting finish of the season. That alone would have made the season a success, but she was also fairly consistent, making 17 cuts and having four top-10 finishes. Finally, she also was a part of the Australian team that won the International Crown. Kim rose her stock steadily in the 2025 year, and will go into the next season with a high profile and a lot of confidence.
No. 3 – Miyu Yamashita – Yamashita lived up to the expectations of her rookie season, and probably exceeded them. She won two LPGA Tour events in 2025, including a major championship at the AIG Women’s Open. She also won the Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year Award, nearly won Player of the Year, finished No. 2 in the CME Standings and entered the top five of the Rolex Rankings. She did all of that while being one of the shortest hitters on the Tour.
No. 2 – Minjee Lee – Lee went from one of the worst putters on the LPGA Tour to one of the best in her two month offseason. That paid dividends as she was back to looking like the player we are used to seeing. She won her third major championship at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and was also in contention at another. She was also the best player and clear leader of the International Crown champion Australia. More than anything though, this seasons signaled that one of the best players of her generation isn’t quite done yet.
No. 1 – Jeeno Thitikul – What else can you say about Jeeno Thitikul? She was the only player to win three times on the LPGA Tour in 2025, she set the Tour single-season scoring record, she won her second CME Tour Championship, she was simply incredible. While many already believed Thitikul to be arguably the best in the world, she left no doubt in 2025. Thitikul defined women’s golf in 2025.
