At this point last year, Nelly Korda had already won three tournaments and quickly became the best player in the world. The comparisons to Scottie Scheffler were palpable too, especially since Scheffler won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players in March and then finished runner-up to Stephan Jaeger at the Texas Children’s Houston Open two weeks later.

In addition, Rianne Malixi, who won the U.S. Girls' Junior at El Caballero Country Club last summer, will compete on a sponsor exemption. Malixi also won the U.S. Women's Amateur in 2025. The incoming Duke freshman will compete next week at the Augusta National Women's Amateur.