The big LPGA question for 2025 is already being answered in 2026

Craig Kessler knew there was no easy answer, even if conventional wisdom said otherwise.

“There are no silver bullets to make stars,” said the LPGA commissioner at the CME Group Tour Championship in November.

At the end of a year defined by parity, the LPGA and women’s golf faced a conundrum as it looked to find its breakthrough moment: Is it better to have one or two majors and win big, or is parity and depth the answer?

One of Kessler’s priorities since he took over as commissioner was finding a way to create and inspire his stars. The method, he said, was to identify those who are connected to the fans, who are willing to appear outside the lines to build their brand and whose game meets the required standard.

“You have the best players, you have the most marketable players, and you have those who are really willing to lean in and do the job,” Kessler said. “It’s the handful of players at the center of this Venn diagram that we’re going to invest our resources in to create global stars and build that player and the fans.”

Well, it’s no secret who the needle is on in women’s golf right now. The same two players Kessler mentioned by name as players who did things outside of golf to raise their star profiles: Nelly Korda and Charley Hull.

While the odds are important, Korda and Hull are winning more, and doing so in the biggest stages in 2026, would be very beneficial for the LPGA and women’s golf.

Korda went winless in 2025 after his seven wins in 2024. Hull won once, taking on Kroger behind World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul four-putted on the 72nd hole. Not surprisingly, the two biggest moments of the 2025 season were Korda’s offense on Sunday in the final round of the US Women’s Open and Hull in the AIG Women’s Open, both of which came up short.

A year where Nelly and Charley win and win big could be the foundation of the upward spiral to success that Kessler and everyone involved in women’s golf sees.

That’s what made the LPGA season so controversial. Korda shot a sterling 64 on Saturday in freezing temperatures in Orlando to take the lead. Everything was set for a perfect Sunday, with the LPGA star looking to snap a winless drought to open the 2026 season. But the decision to shorten the tournament to 54 holes due to the cold means Korda won the tournament by a drive and won’t play again for another month.

Kessler apologized for the way the decision was handled and reported. He vowed to learn from it. There’s no doubt that the controversial shortening overshadowed what could have been an ideal opening weekend for the LPGA.

But Korda did not succeed. If he looks around again, the talking drought will be over, and he will be looking for win number 2 this season.

“I played really well last year,” Korda said after his 54-hole win. “It didn’t go my way. I think I was too focused on actually being there, which I told myself I would do last year, too. Maybe the outside noise happened less than I wanted. I learned a lot.

“I’m really happy to get the first win of the year, and hopefully that leads to a good year.”

And on Saturday, one of women’s golf’s needle movers shot a final-round 65 to claim yet another title at the PIF Saudi Ladies International on the Ladies European Tour.

Hull birdied the final six of eight holes at Riyadh Golf Club to beat Akie Iwai and Cassandra Alexander by one.

“It feels good,” Hull said after the win. “Wow, it went really fast today. I was two under on nine holes and I charged after nine. It was funny because last time my boyfriend told me to go out and make a bunch of birdies. He said to me last night, ‘Make a bunch of birdies, he likes to chase.’ That’s what I did.”

The LPGA’s baffling decision to shorten the season-opening Tournament of Champions has turned Korda’s dream start into a question-filled controversy.

But on February 14, both Korda and Hull, two of the biggest stars in women’s golf, both won. Hull will play again in two weeks at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, while Korda will return to action at the Fortinet Founders Cup in mid-March. There is a chance that one or both of them could have more wins by the time the big games begin at the end of April.

The answer to the LPGA question of stars versus depth always answered itself. Just one month into the 2026 season, Korda and Hull are already well on their way to delivering the expected response: stars moving the needle and transcending sports. The winners are the fastest.

That’s as close to a silver bullet as you’re going to get.