The field of the Portland Classic is considerably weaker than last year. A handful of bigwigs have skipped the Oregon stop due to the Olympics. Some of the past champions are missing from the field as well, as is world No. 1 Nelly Korda.

Sans the usual suspects, the leaderboard is expected to be crowded with rising stars and some veterans who have yet to register their first wins this season. Here are our top five picks for this week at the Portland Classic.

Jennifer Kupcho

The 27-year-old Wake Forest alum has flown under the radar this season. But Jennifer Kupcho has shown remarkable consistency. In her last eight appearances, the former Chevron Championship winner has broken inside the top five three times, including a runner-up finish at the Dow Championship. Kupcho failed to book a weekend spot only once this season. This will be her only second appearance at the Portland Classic. Expect her to better the T26 this time around.

Chanettee Wannasaen

The defending champion returns to the field a year younger and with more experience, including another title under her belt. Last year, Wannasasen stitched together a dream four rounds to net her first LPGA Tour victory. Despite missing eight consecutive cuts and bagging a T54 in the next, the Thai teenager landed in Oregon with hopes of dramatically turning the tide in her favor. Wannasasen became the first player since Brooke Henderson in the 2016 Portland Classic to manage a podium finish as a Monday qualifier.

The 20-year-old has five top-25s this season. Her most recent victory came at the Dana Open a few weeks ago. She missed the cut at the CPKC Women’s Open. But at Columbia Edgewater Country Club, Wannasasen will look to conjure another magical Sunday. The Thailand native ranks 9th in putts per GIR, and 9th in scoring rounds under par (30).

Andrea Lee

Lee has seven top-25s this season in the top tier of women’s professional golf. The 25-year-old is a past champion of the event. Back in 2022, Andrea Lee pieced together a final round 66 to clinch a one-stroke victory, her first on the LPGA Tour. Last year, the 25-year-old again broke into the top-10. Lee has never missed the cut at the Oregon event in her three previous appearances. Another top-notch performance will hardly be surprising from the Stanford alum.

Allisen Corpuz 

The former U.S. Open champion is the highest-ranked player in the field. In her last four appearances, the 26-year-old never finished outside the 26th. Corpuz has had a mixed season so far, with two top-10s. Despite two back-to-back missed cuts in May, the LPGA pro bounced back strongly with a T5 at the Meijer LPGA Classic.

At the Portland Classic, her strength lies in a powerful iron game. Corpuz has reached 71.52% greens in regulation this season, the 9th best in the Tour. From the tee, her prowess lies not in distance but in accuracy, in which she is the second-best player on the Tour this season. This will be her only second time in Portland, having missed the cut last year.

Danielle Kang

Last year, Danielle Kang tied for 14th at the Portland Classic. The six-time LPGA Tour winner has struggled this season, but her past experience at the course is the perfect reason to blow the cobwebs out of her game. Kang’s strength lies in her hot putter. Despite the T20 at the Honda LPGA Thailand being her best performance this year, she ranks second in putting average and 9th in putts per GIR.

Aside from them, Angel Yin, Aditi Ashok, Ariya Jutanugarn, and Lauren Coughlin are also in the field. Yin’s form hit the skids after her ankle injury early this season. A T5 at the T-Mobile Match Play remains her only finish inside the top 30. Whereas, Ashok, the only Olympian in the field, is searching for her maiden LPGA Tour title. But a top-10 will also be a massive boost for the 25-year-old Indian icon before jetting off to Paris.

Jutanugarn, on the other hand, recorded an average season so far by the standard of a 12-time LPGA Tour winner. Last year, the 28-year-old Thai icon settled for a T7 at the Columbia Edgewater Country Club. While Coughlin will surely look forward to entering Portland with the same confidence with which she left Canada. The Portland Classic tees off on August 1.