The 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship kicks off this week in Texas at the home of the PGA of America, Fields Ranch East at PGA Frisco. Here are the five players most likely to win the third major championship of the women’s golf season:
No. 5 – Nelly Korda – There’s one concern here with Korda this week, and it isn’t her putting. Korda had a neck injury flare up after hitting a shot from the rough in a practice round which caused her to miss the champions dinner. She did go out for a practice round Tuesday with some tape on her neck and said it is getting better in her press conference. On paper it seems that Korda should have a great week, but that injury is something to keep an eye on.
No. 4 – Carlota Ciganda – I love Ciganda this week playing with momentum coming off her win last week at the Meijer LPGA Classic. Ciganda has quietly been in fantastic form this year with five top-10 finishes in her last seven starts on the LPGA Tour. Her style of play should be able to work on any course and this feels like the ideal opportunity for one of the best players in the world without a major to go get her first.
No. 3 – Mao Saigo – Across the last five women’s majors played, Saigo has finished outside of the top seven only one time. While she’s a fantastic player in general, ranking No. 9 in the Rolex Rankings and No. 3 in the CME Standings, she really comes to play for the biggest tournaments on the schedule. After escaping with a win at Chevron, she was in fantastic position to win the U.S. Women’s Open, leading heading into the weekend. Expect another great finish here.
No. 2 – Jeeno Thitikul – One of these days Thitikul will win a major, she is easily the most consistent player on the LPGA Tour and is seemingly in contention to win every time she is in the field. In 10 starts this season the only two times she has finished outside of the top 12 on the leaderboard are in the previous two majors. Despite seven top-10 finishes in majors since 2021, somehow it could still be argued that Jeeno doesn’t generally have her best stuff in the biggest events of the season. I expect that to change this week considering the form she has had this year.
No. 1 – Haeran Ryu – Like Thitikul, Ryu will win a major sooner than later. Like Thitikul, she consistently puts herself in positions to win and has five top-10 finishes in majors since the start of 2023. She had a tough start at the U.S. Women’s Open, but played well on Friday and Saturday to save for a good performance. Her overall form hasn’t been the best since her win in Utah about a month ago, but I have no worries about Ryu’s game heading into this week.
