With only one event in the U.S. prior to the Asian swing, three prominent Australian players will skip the Orlando start.
The LPGA's season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions will be missing a couple of major winners from the 2025 season. Australia's Minjee Lee (KPMG Women's PGA) and Grace Kim (Amundi Evian Championship) won't make the long haul to Orlando, Florida, later this month, their agents have confirmed. Neither will fellow Aussie Hannah Green.
Given that there's only one event in the U.S. prior to the Asian swing, it's easier for the trio to spend extra time at home before getting started in Thailand or Singapore.
The Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions, which begins Jan. 29, exempts players who have won on the LPGA over the past two seasons, and with a record 29 different winners on tour in 2025, this year’s field will be stacked. There are currently 39 LPGA players signed up to compete at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club. The deadline to enter is next Tuesday at 5 p.m. EST.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul and No. 2 Nelly Korda will begin their seasons in central Florida, along with LPGA Hall of Famer and Lake Nona resident Lydia Ko. Defending champion A Lim Kim will also return.
This year's celebrity lineup includes a number of familiar faces, such as NBA All-Star Blake Griffin, NBC News meteorologist Dylan Dreyer and 2025 celebrity champion and NHL All-Star Joe Pavelski. Other past champions returning include MLB stars John Smoltz, Derek Lowe, Jeff McNeil and tennis player Mardy Fish.
The Asian swing begins with the Honda LPGA Thailand event Feb. 19-22 and continues on to Singapore and China.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Minjee Lee, Grace Kim skipping LPGA's season-opening TOC
Category: General Sports
