I have been asked many times how the LPGA constructs their field lists for tournaments. The Priority List is what is used to fill the required amount of spots for any given tournament. Without me getting into the categories, which is potentially confusing, here is a brief explanation.
Most full field events have a field of 144 players. Usually, 140 of the players come from the Priority List ranking. Two players are Monday qualifiers, and 2 more are sponsor exemptions. So to keep it simple, if your Priority Rating is #150, you have to hope that 10 players decide not to play, or you are probably not getting into the field.
1. Top-80: Members in the top 80 (and ties) on the previous season-ending Points List.
Priority is based on the order of the list. Ties will be broken by the Members’ positions on the previous season-ending Money List.
1. Jeeno Thitikul
2. Miyu Yamashita
3. Minjee Lee
4. Rio Takeda
5. Nelly Korda
6. Sei Young Kim
7. Hyo Joo Kim
8. Hye-Jin Choi
9. Nasa Hataoka
10. Somi Lee
11. A Lim Kim
12. Mao Saigo
13. Akie Iwai
14. Charley Hull
15. Chizzy Iwai
16. Jin Hee Im
17. Angel Yin
18. Minami Katsu
19. Celine Boutier
20. Jennifer Kupcho
21. Haeran Ryu
22. Linn Grant
23. Andrea Lee
24. Ayaka Furue
25. Yealimi Noh
26. Lydia Ko
27. Brooke M. Henderson
28. Carlota Ciganda
29. Gaby Lopez
30. Lindy Duncan
31. Grace Kim
32. Auston Kim
33. Austin Ernst *
34. Lauren Coughlin
35. Jessica Korda **
36. Ruoning Yin
37. Ariya Jutanugarn
38. Megan Khang
39. Miranda Wang
40. Maja Stark
41. Jin Young Ko
42. Lottie Woad
43. Hannah Green
44. Esther Henseleit
45. Stephanie Kyriacou
46. Nanna Koerstz Madsen
47. Pajaree Anannarukarn
48. Chella Choi **
49. Albane Valenzuela *
50. Chanettee Wannasaen
51. Sarah Schmelzel
52. Jenny Bae
53. Moriya Jutanugarn *
54. Madelene Sagstrom
55. Xiyu Janet Lin **
56. Allisen Corpuz
57. Ingrid Lindblad
58. Mi Hyang Lee
59. Patty Tavatanakit
60. Lexi Thompson
61. Manon De Roey
62. Yan Liu
63. Nataliya Guseva
64. Lucy Li
65. Leona Maguire
66. Brooke Matthews
67. Jenny Shin
68. Wei-Ling Hsu
69. Ina Yoon
70. Cassie Porter
71. Saki Baba
72. Gurleen Kaur
73. Robyn Choi
74. Julia Lopez Ramirez
75. Kristen Gillman
76. Brittany Altomare **
77. Alison Lee **
78. Gemma Dryburgh
79. Pauline Roussin-Bouchard
80. Jaye Marie Green *
81. Gabriela Ruffels
82. Yuri Yoshida
83. Stephanie Meadow *
84. Karis Davidson
85. Aditi Ashok
86. Paula Reto
87. Georgia Hall **
88. Lilia Vu
89. Ilhee Lee
90. Benedetta Moresco
91. Ashleigh Buhai
* Medical
** Maternity
2. Career Top-20: Members in the top 20 on the Career Money List as of the end of the last Official Tournament of the previous season.
Priority is based on the order of the list. To be included in this category (a) the Member must have notified the LPGA that she wanted to be included in the Career Top 20 category by November 15th of the previous year, (b) if a Member elects to be included in the Career Top 20 Category, she will be in this category for one season, (c) a Member may be included in this category only two times in her career, and (d) a Member may only be in the Career Top 20 category or the Career Top 40 category (but not both) in her career.
NIL
3. Major Winner: Members who have won an LPGA Major Championship while a Member during the previous five (5) seasons or during the current season.
Priority is based on the number of such wins during the previous five (5) seasons. Ties are broken by the Members’ positions on the Career Money List as of the end of the previous season. (Note: Pursuant to the 2021 COVID-19 Regulations Addendum, Members whose most recent Major win was in 2019 will be eligible for this category through the 2025 season.)
92. Yuka Saso
93. Amy Yang
94. Anna Nordqvist
95. Paula Creamer *
96. In Gee Chun
* Medical
4. Winner: Members who have won an Official Tournament while a Member within the last two (2) calendar seasons or during the current season.
Priority is based on the number of Official Tournament wins during the previous two (2) seasons. Ties are broken by the Members’ positions on the Career Money List as of the end of the previous season.
97. Jasmine Suwannapura
98. Rose Zhang
99. Linnea Strom
100. Bailey Tardy
5. Multiple Wins: Members who have won at least two (2) Official Tournaments while a Member in the same season in any of the previous three (3) seasons.
Priority is based on the number of wins during all the previous three seasons. Ties are broken by the Members’ positions on the Career Money List as of the end of the previous season.
NIL
6. Three Wins in the Same Season: Members who have won three (3) or more Official Tournaments while a Member during the same season in any of the previous four (4) seasons.
Three Wins in the Same Season: Members who have won three (3) or more Official Tournaments while a Member during the same season in any of the previous four (4) seasons. Priority is based on the number of wins during all the previous four (4) seasons. Ties are broken by the Members’ positions on the Career Money List as of the end of the previous season
NIL
7. Non-Member Win: A Non-Member who wins an Official Tournament in 2024 and after will be eligible for this category for the remainder of the season in which she wins and for two consecutive seasons thereafter. A Non Member who wins a Major Championship in 2021 and after will be eligible for this category for the remainder of the season in which she wins and for five consecutive seasons thereafter.
Priority is based on the earliest date of such win(s). A Player must be eligible for and accept LPGA membership to be included in this category.
101. Youmin Hwang
8. Current Year Top-80: Members in the Top 80 of the current season’s Points List after the First Reshuffle Tournament with priority based on the order of the Points List.
For the remaining Official Tournaments of the season, Members in the Top 80 on the current season’s Points List after the Second Reshuffle Tournament. Priority is based on the order of the Points List. Ties are broken by the Members’ positions on the current season Priority List as of the Commitment Deadline for each respective reshuffle tournament.
NIL
9. Epson Tour Top-10: Players finishing Nos. 1 – 10 (and ties) on the previous season-ending Epson Tour Race for the Card Points List
Ties will be broken by the players’ positions on the previous season-ending Money List.
102. Cheyenne Knight **
103. Melanie Green
104. Yana Wilson
105. Gina Kim
106. Sophia Schubert
107. Fatima Fernandez Cano *
108. Erika Hara
109. Briana Chacon
110. Natasha Andrea Oon *
111. Riley Smyth
112. Laetitia Beck
113. Minji Kang
114. Hailee Cooper
* Medical ** Maternity
10. Non-Member Top 60: Non-Member Professionals who, as of the conclusion of the last Official Tournament of the previous season, earned a number of Points during such season in Official Tournaments with a cut, that is equal to or greater than the number of Official Points earned by the Member who was in 60th place on the Points List at that time.
Priority based on the number of Points earned in such tournaments. Ties will be broken by the earliest time at which the Non-Member earned the number of Points necessary to be included in the category. A Player must be eligible for and accept LPGA membership to be included in this category.
NIL
Nos. 81-100: Members finishing Nos. 81-100 (and ties) on the previous season-ending Points List.
Priority is based on the order of the list. Ties will be broken by the Members’ positions on the previous season-ending Money List.
115. Peiyun Chien
116. Narin An
117. Mary Liu
118. Arpichaya Yubol
119. Emily Kristine Pedersen
120. Weiwei Zhang
121. Dewi Weber
122. Jeongeun Lee5
123. Ssu-Chia Cheng ***
124. Haeji Kang
125. Elizabeth Szokol
126. Celine Borge
127. Ruixin Liu
128. Kumkang Park
129. Alexa Pano
130. Aline Krauter
131. Nicole Broch Estrup **
** Maternity
*** Family Leave
12. Career Top 40: Members in the top 40 on the Career Money List as of the end of the previous season.
Priority is based on the order of the list. To be included in this category (a) the Member must notify the LPGA that she wants to be included in the Career Top 40 Category by November 15th of the previous year, and (b) if a Member elects to be included in the Career Top 40 Category she will be in this category for one season, (c) a Member may be included in this category only one time in her career, (d) a Member may only be in the Career Top 40 Category or the Career Top 20 Category (but not both) in her career.
NIL
13. LEAP: An elite amateur Player identified through the LEAP pathway prior to the start of, or during the current season. Ties will be broken by the earliest time at which the Player earns the points necessary to be included in this category. The Player must turn professional and meet all other eligibility criteria to be included in this category.
NIL
14. Current Season Reshuffle: After the First Reshuffle Tournament, Members in categories 14 through 19 who have earned Points will be re-seeded into Category 13. Members placed into Category 13 will be ranked in the order of their position on the current season’s Points List through the First Reshuffle Tournament.
Members will remain in this category until the next reshuffle. After the Second Reshuffle Tournament, Members in categories 13, and 14 through 20, who have earned Points will be re-seeded into Category 13. Members placed into Category 13 will be ranked in the order of their position on the current year’s Points List through the Second Reshuffle Tournament. Members will remain in this category for the remainder of the season. For all reshuffles, ties are broken by the Members’ positions on the current season Priority List as of the Commitment Deadline for each respective reshuffle tournament.
NIL
15. Top-25 Final Qualifying: Players finishing Nos. 1-25 (and ties) at the previous year’s LPGA Q-Series.
Ties will be broken in the following order: lowest final round; lowest 5th round; lowest 4th round; etc. until the tie is broken. If players remain tied, ties will be broken by a match of score cards beginning with the 18th hole of the final round and working backwards.
132. Helen Briem
133. Soo Bin Joo
134. Lizette Salas *
135. Ryann O’Toole
136. Mohan Du
137. Perrine Delacour
138. Juniper Jang
139. Laney Frye
140. Dongeun Lee
141. Polly Mack
142. Nastasia Nadaud
143. Camille Boyd
144. Kokona Sakurai
145. Leah John
146. Chiara Tamburlini
147. Yu Liu
148. Lauren Walsh
149. Emma McMyler
150. Jiaze Sun
151. Carolina Lopez-Chacarra
152. Maude-Aimee Leblanc
153. Frida Kinhult
154. Jing Yan *
155. Carolina Melgrati
156. Suvichaya Vinijchaitham
157. Isi Gabsa
158. Jodi Ewart Shadoff
159. Erica Shepherd
160. Yuna Nishimura
161. Ana Belac
162. Mimi Rhodes
163. Hinako Shibuno
* Medical
16. Points #101-125 & Epson 11-15: Members finishing Nos. 101-125 (and ties) and Epson 11-15 on the previous season-ending Points List.
Priority is based on the order of the list. Ties will be broken by the Members’ positions on the previous season-ending Money List.
164. Pornanong Phatlum
165. Anne Chen
166. Isabella Fierro
167. Yahui Zhang
168. Michelle Zhang
169. Carla Tejedo Mulet
170. Azahara Munoz
171. Brianna Do
172. Hira Naveed
173. Jessica Porvasnik
174. Jiwon Jeon
175. Caley McGinty
176. Kate Smith-Stroh
177. Jeongeun Lee6
178. Sung Hyun Park
179. Morgane Metraux
180. Olivia Cowan
181. Caroline Inglis
182. Bianca Pagdanganan
183. Bronte Law
17. Tournament Winners: Members who won an Official Tournament while a Member within the previous twenty one (21) seasons.
Priority is based on the number of wins. Ties are broken by the Members’ positions on the Career Money List as of the end of the previous season. 184. Annika Sorenstam 185. Karrie Webb 186. Juli Inkster 187. Lorena Ochoa 188. Se Ri Pak 189. Inbee Park 190. Cristie Kerr 191. Meg Mallon 192. Suzann Pettersen 193. Yani Tseng 194. Stacy Lewis 195. Liselotte Neumann 196. Na Yeon Choi 197. Brittany Lincicome 198. Ai Miyazato 199. Mi Hyun Kim 200. Sherri Steinhauer 201. Angela Stanford 202. In Kyung Kim 203. So Yeon Ryu 204. Eun-Hee Ji 205. Danielle Kang 206. Hee-Won Han 207. Pat Hurst 208. Grace Park 209. Michelle Wie West 210. Maria McBride 211. Catriona Matthew 212. Mi Jung Hur 213. Candie Kung 214. Wendy Ward 215. Seon Hwa Lee 216. Christina Kim 217. Hee Young Park 218. Katherine Kirk 219. Mirim Lee 220. Ally Ewing 221. Wendy Doolan 222. Haru Moon 223. Morgan Pressel 224. Brittany Lang 225. Jeong Jang 226. Caroline Masson 227. Marina Alex 228. Sun Young Yoo 229. Karen Stupples 230. Jimin Kang 231. Ji Young Oh 232. Heather Daly-Donofrio 233. Sandra Gal 234. Natalie Gulbis 235. Julieta Granada 236. Jee Young Lee 237. Pernilla Lindberg 238. Mo Martin 239. Heather Bowie Young 240. Leta Lindley 241. Nicole Castrale 242. Moira Dunn-Bohls 243. Kim Saiki-Maloney 244. Lee-Anne Pace 245. Marisa Baena 246. Kris Tamulis 247. Annie Park 248. Matilda Castren 249. Mel Reid 250. Cydney Clanton 251. Silvia Cavalleri 252. Jennifer Johnson 253. Birdie Kim 254. Meaghan Francella 255. Eunjung Yi
18. Tournament Winners: Members who won an Official Tournament while a Member more than twenty-one (21) seasons prior.
Priority is based on the number of wins. Ties are broken by the Members’ positions on the Career Money List as of the end of the previous season. 256. Nancy Lopez 257. JoAnne Carner 258. Sandra Haynie 259. Patty Sheehan 260. Betsy King 261. Beth Daniel 262. Pat Bradley 263. Amy Alcott 264. Jane Blalock 265. Judy Rankin 266. Donna Caponi 267. Laura Davies 268. Sandra Palmer 269. Hollis Stacy 270. Dottie Pepper 271. Jan Stephenson 272. Sally Little 273. Rosie Jones 274. Jane Geddes 275. Clifford Ann Creed 276. Christa Johnson 277. Mary Mills 278. Alice Miller 279. Rachel Hetherington 280. Sandra Post 281. Tammie Green 282. Danielle Ammaccapane 283. Michelle McGann 284. Debbie Austin 285. Kathy Cornelius 286. Donna Andrews 287. Val Skinner 288. Brandie Burton 289. Deb Richard 290. Barb Mucha 291. Lorie Kane 292. Cindy Rarick 293. Judy Dickinson 294. Dorothy Delasin 295. Penny Hammel 296. Kathy Postlewait 297. Mary Beth Zimmerman 298. Betty Burfeindt 299. Murle Breer 300. Sue Roberts 301. Emilee Klein 302. Nancy Scranton 303. Sherri Turner 304. Vicki Fergon 305. Martha Nause 306. Debbie Massey 307. Lauri Merten 308. Terry-Jo Myers 309. Donna White 310. Cathy Gerring 311. Pam Higgins 312. Gloria Ehret 313. Betsy Cullen 314. Laura Diaz 315. Janice Moodie 316. Michele Redman 317. Elaine Crosby 318. Dana Dormann 319. Patricia Meunier-Lebouc 320. Gail Graham 321. Laurie Rinker 322. Jody Anschutz 323. Janet Coles 324. Anne Marie Palli 325. Jerilyn Britz 326. Kathy Guadagnino 327. Bonnie Lauer 328. Cindy Hill 329. Jan Ferraris 330. Tina Barrett 331. Kris Tschetter 332. Kelli Kuehne 333. Michelle Estill 334. Jane Crafter 335. Cindy Figg-Currier 336. Jenny Lidback 337. Becky Iverson 338. Charlotta Sorenstam 339. Cindy Schreyer 340. Kate Golden 341. Amy Fruhwirth 342. Missie McGeorge 343. Joan Pitcock 344. Marta Figueras-Dotti 345. Nanci Bowen 346. Allison Finney 347. Missie Berteotti 348. Cathy Johnston-Forbes 349. Kathryn Imrie 350. Mardi Lunn 351. Julie Piers 352. Barb Whitehead 353. Laurel Kean 354. Tracy Kerdyk 355. Cathy Morse 356. Lisa D’Amore 357. Carolyn Hill 358. Janet Anderson 359. Shirley Furlong 360. Lynn Adams 361. Becky Pearson 362. Dot Germain 363. Tina Fischer 364. Pat Meyers 365. Jennifer Wyatt 366. Susie McAllister 367. Patty Hayes 368. Tina Tombs 369. Lauren Howe 370. Sharon Barrett 371. Patty Jordan-Smith 372. Barbara Barrow 373. Bonnie Bryant 374. Pam Barnett
19. Points #126-150: Members finishing Nos. 126-150 (and ties) on the previous season-ending Points List.
Priority is based on the order of the list. Ties will be broken by the Members’ positions on the previous season-ending Money List.
375. Emma Talley **
376. Xiaowen Yin
377. Gigi Stoll
378. Lauren Hartlage
379. Muni He
380. Amanda Doherty
381. Jaravee Boonchant
382. Mariel Galdiano
383. Madison Young
384. Sofia Garcia
385. Wichanee Meechai
386. Savannah Grewal
387. Adela Cernousek
388. Daniela Darquea
389. Sophia Popov
390. Alena Sharp
** Maternity
2026 Reshuffles
The LPGA will have two Priority List reshuffles during the 2026 season. The first one is usually at the end of May, and the second one at the end of July. Players who start the season with a poor priority ranking and play well in the few opportunities that they get to tee it up will have the chance to be reshuffled into playing much more regularly.
Feature Photo: Jeeno Thitikul – courtesy golf.com
