Those living near The Woodlands are in for some outstanding stroke play! It’s time for the 2025 Chevron Championship: the LPGA Tour’s first major of the season. The field is set with the biggest names in women’s golf pumped up for the nail-biting action. Defending champion Nelly Korda has a tough job ahead of her, as the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at The Club presents challenges. Her toughest challengers will be former champions like Lydia Ko, Lilia Vu, Jennifer Kupcho, and Jin Young Ko. However, Korda must be pleased to know that a few stars have decided to skip the tournament. Who are they, and why have they chosen to miss the 2025 Chevron Championship? Let’s find out!

Rose Zhang

After a long break focusing on the winter quarters at Stanford University, Rose Zhang was finally back on the LPGA Tour. She had missed many of the events at the beginning of the season. It’s safe to assume that she was hoping to go on a long run to make up for all the tournaments she skipped. However, after only three events in 2025, two since her comeback, Zhang has been put into an unfortunate situation.

A few holes after the second round of the T-Mobile Match Play presented by MGM Rewards, the 21-year-old had to withdraw from the tournament. Reports came in later to confirm that Zhang was having trouble with her recurring neck issues. While the 2x LPGA Tour winner had already made the field, she had to step back from the 2025 Chevron Championship as well, as she was still recovering from the injury.

Danielle Kang

While Zhang battles surprise injuries, Danielle Kang is trying to overcome long-term illnesses. The former KPMG Women’s PGA Championship winner has struggled a lot with her health ever since she learned about her tumor back in 2022. Kang has still tried to make consistent appearances on the LPGA Tour. In 2025, she has played in 6 tournaments. However, the 32-year-old only managed to make the cut for two of them. Her second appearance of the year at the 2025 HSBC Women’s World Championship saw her finish with a 19-over 307. Health and form have been her downfall, and she decided to skip the highly competitive major championship this week to avoid any further stress. That is the reason Danielle Kang’s fans won’t get to see her play at The Club this weekend.

Hyo Joo Kim

Hyo Joo Kim is completely fit at the moment. She is also ready for competition. What’s more? She is in sublime form, as she has already won the Ford Championship presented by Wild Horse Pass earlier this year. So why is Kim not on the field at the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course then? That’s because her priorities lie elsewhere during this time of the year. As confirmed by the official LET website, the Korean national is focusing on defending her title at the 2025 Aramco Korea Championship. The tournament might be a couple of weeks away, but Kim doesn’t want to get into intense tournament action before she visits Korea on May 9th, 2025. A part of the reason might be that Hyo Joo Kim didn’t have a fruitful time in the 2024 Chevron Championship. She missed the cut entirely at The Woodlands and didn’t make it to the weekend leg. The world No. 13 might also want to take her good form and confidence directly to the New Korea Country Club so that she can defend her title.

Alison Lee

World No. 46, Alison Lee, has qualified for the 2025 Chevron Championship on merit. She had a great season in 2024, where she finished in the top 10 on 4 separate occasions. She nearly managed to win the discarded tournament in 2025, the Fir Hills Seri PAK Championship. However, fans have not seen Lee play once this season. Don’t worry, the reason behind her disappearance is not because she has retired. The 30-year-old announced earlier this year that she was expecting a baby. Lee received a lot of love from her peers after she made the major life announcement. Hence, fans might not get to see Alison Lee compete for the majority of the year.

Ryann O’Toole

Four tournaments in and missing 50% of the cuts, Ryann O’Toole is not having the best time in 2025. Her LPGA Tour record is not as it has been in the past. But that is not the reason she is not playing in the 2025 Chevron Championship. The 38-year-old is suffering from a neck injury at the moment that is keeping her away from action. Despite making the cut after the second round of the 2025 JM Eagle LA Championship, O’Toole had to withdraw from the tournament to focus on recovering from the injury. When she might come back, we don’t know, but it will not be at The Woodlands this week.

Are there any other stars missing from the field whom you were hoping to see at the 2025 Chevron Championship? Also, who do you think will win the first major of the year? Let us know in the comments section.