The LPGA Tour is back in Orlando with the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, bringing together the winners of the last two seasons at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club. Here is a look at Fore-All.com’s picks to win this week.
No. 5 – Ayaka Furue – You could put Ayaka Furue in the top five every week and be correct most of the time. That was true of her in this event in 2024, where she finished in a tie for fourth place. Furue is coming off an elite season, where she had 12 top-10 finishes in 24 events. She should get off to a strong start here.
No. 4 – Angel Yin – Angel Yin’s 2024 had all the makings of a breakout campaign, but she was slowed by a serious leg injury that kept her out early. She didn’t really seem to get to full strength until the fall, where she was terrific. Yin finished top 10 in four of her last six events including a runner-up at the Tour Championship. Yin has also played well previously at Lake Nona, putting together a good tournament in the 2021 Gainbridge.
No. 3 – Lydia Ko – Ko comes into this event with a bit of a home field advantage, as her American membership is at Lake Nona. She showed off that course knowledge in 2024 when she won by two strokes over Alexa Pano. Ko is comfortable in this event, is coming off a strong year and has great knowledge of this course. There is no reason to believe she won’t be successful this week.
No. 2 – Brooke Henderson – It is never a good idea to bet against Brooke Henderson in the season-opening event, especially at Lake Nona. Since the tournament moved to Lake Nona in 2022, Henderson has finished runner-up in 2022, as the winner in 2023 and third place in 2024. Something about her and this course and format just works on a consistent basis.
No. 1 – Nelly Korda – Despite a disappointing finish in 2024 here, Korda also has good history at this course. She won the Gainbridge here in 2021, and finished fourth at the Tournament of Champions in both 2022 and 2023. Korda plays at her best in Florida and gets the job done to continue her dominant run over the last year.
