The biggest stars in women’s golf will take center stage at the penultimate event of the LPGA Tour season, The ANNIKA, driven by Gainbridge at Pelican. Hosted by World Golf Hall of Fame member Annika Sörenstam, this event has become one of the year’s most anticipated stops in Belleair, Florida.

With a $3.25 million purse on the line, players are eager to secure their status for next season, make moves in critical season-long points races, and, of course, claim the prestigious trophy. This week’s Tour stop at Pelican Golf Club also welcomes WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark. The championship before the entire season comes to an end at the CME Group Tour Championship is scheduled to take place from November 14 to November 17. Here are the top five players in the field:

1. Nelly Korda

Nelly Korda is a two-time champion at The ANNIKA (2021 and 2022). She chose just the right place to make a comeback. After the Kroger Queen City Championship in September, she took a break and was meant to make a comeback at the Maybank Championship last month. But due to a neck injury, it has been almost two months since she has played in the field.

The Rolex Rankings No. 1 player will now finally be headed to bag another victory for the season. She is also leading at the Race to CME Globe standings, having won a total of six events in just one season. She missed her cuts in only three of the fourteen tournaments that she appeared in and managed to win $3.7 million. She was also awarded the 2024 Player of the Year accolade over Lydia Ko.

2. Lilia Vu

Last year, Lilia Vu defeated Alison Lee and Azahara Muñoz in the Sunday round to win The ANNIKA by three strokes. She is currently ranked No. 3 on the Rolex Golf Rankings and tenth on the Race to CME Globe Standings. Vu has had an exceptional run this year.

Having appeared in sixteen events, she managed to make the cut at fourteen of them. She bagged a total of $2 million and a victory at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give. She will be looking forward to her second victory of the season this weekend. Vu said while looking back on her victory that it was the most important win of her season because she felt her game had fallen off after her major victory at the AIG Women’s Open that summer. 

3. Haeran Ryu

23-year-old Haeran Ryu has been playing on the LPGA Tour only for two seasons now. And well, as it turns out, her name is already brimming on the headlines. Meeting Nelly Korda’s cut record, she appeared in twenty-four events this season and has made the cut in twenty-one of them. Additionally, she also bagged a win at the FM Championship and has thirteen top-10 finishes. Last year was her debut at The ANNIKA where she finished with a T12. Now she will be looking for a redemption this year by trying to grab her second victory of the season.

4. Ruoning Yin

Just like Haeran Ryu, Ruoning Yin too made her debut at the event last year. She managed to bag a 13-under and finished with a T7, taking home $76,061. Currently ranked second on the Rolex Rankings list and fifth on the Race to CME Globe standings, the 22-year-old appeared in eighteen events this year and made the cut in sixteen of them. She also bagged three wins this season and will be aiming for her fourth win this weekend. Winning this will also be an important event for her because she is currently lacking 1,418.836 at the CME Globe Standings. 

5. Hannah Green

The 2024 ANNIKA will mark Hannah Green’s nineteenth start of the season. She last played at the Maybank Championship in October and was close to the win, finishing at a T6. However, right before that, she won at the BMW Championship, and well, the LPGA Tour star has not yet lost her momentum. She too will be looking forward to her fourth win at the Pelican Club.

Who do you think has the highest chance of winning the LPGA Tour event this weekend? Let us know in the comments section below!