The big question for women’s golf for 2025 will already be answered in 2026

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

“There are no silver bullets to creating stars,” the LPGA commissioner said 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 seemed to find their breakthrough moment: Is it better to let one or two superstars win and win big, or are parity and depth the answer?

One of Kessler’s top priorities when he took over as commissioner was finding a way to create and market his stars. The way, he said, was to identify those who connect with fans, are willing to appear outside the ropes to build their brand and whose play meets the necessary standard.

“You have the best players, you have the most marketable players, and you have the ones who are actually willing to lean in and do the work,” Kessler said. “It’s the handful of players at the center of that Venn diagram that we’re going to invest our resources in to create global superstars and create that player and fan connection.”

Of course, it’s no secret who is currently calling the shots in women’s golf. They are the same two players Kessler specifically mentioned by name as players who have done things outside of golf to increase their star profile: Nelly Korda and Charley Hull.

While it is important outside the ropes, winning more for Korda and Hull, and doing so on the biggest stages in 2026, would be most beneficial for the LPGA and women’s golf.

Korda went winless in 2025 after her seven wins in 2024. Hull won once, capturing the Kroger after world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul four-putted the 72nd hole. It’s no surprise that the two biggest moments of the 2025 season were Korda’s Sunday charge at the US Women’s Open and Hull’s final round at the AIG Women’s Open, both of which fell just short.

A year in which Nelly and Charley win and win big would provide the basis for the climb to a breakthrough that Kessler and all stakeholders in women’s golf envision.

That’s what made the controversial start to the LPGA season so nerve-wracking. Korda shot a sterling 64 in frigid temperatures in Orlando on Saturday to take the lead. Everything was set for an ideal Sunday, with the LPGA’s big star looking to break a winless drought to open the 2026 season. But the decision to shorten the tournament to 54 holes due to the cold conditions meant Korda won the tournament on the driving range and will not hit another shot for a month.

Kessler apologized for the way the decision was handled and communicated. He promised to learn from it. There’s no doubt that the controversial shortening overshadowed the ideal scenario for the LPGA’s opening weekend.

But Korda won anyway. If she picks it up again, talk of a drought will be over and she will look forward to her second win of the season.

“I did a lot of good things last year,” Korda said after her 54-hole victory. “It just didn’t go the way I wanted. I think I was so focused on really being present, which is what I told myself to do last year. Maybe the outside noise got in a little more than I wanted. I learned a lot.”

“I’m just really happy with the first win of the year, and hopefully that will lead to a great year.”

And on Saturday, women’s golf’s other needle mover fired a last-round 65 to storm back and win the PIF Saudi Ladies International on the Ladies European Tour.

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

“It feels great,” said Hull after securing the win. “Wow, it went a little too fast today. I was only two under through nine holes and then I made a charge on the back nine. It was funny because the last time I was here, my friend said to me, go out there and make a lot of birdies to start with. He said to me last night, ‘Make a lot of birdies coming in, you like to chase.’ And that’s what I did.”

The LPGA’s confusing decision to shorten the season-opening Tournament of Champions turned a Korda dream start into a debacle full of questions.

But on February 14, both Korda and Hull, the two biggest stars in women’s golf, both won. Hull will return to action in two weeks’ time at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, while Korda will return to action at the Fortinet Founders Cup in mid-March. There’s a chance one or both can rack up multiple wins by the time the first big one rolls around in late April.

The answer to the LPGA’s stars vs. depth question was always going to answer itself. Just a month into the 2026 season, Korda and Hull already appear to be well on their way to delivering the expected answer: stars moving needles and transcending the sport. Wins are the accelerator.

That’s as close to a silver bullet as you’ll find.