I have been asked many times how the LPGA constructs their field lists for tournaments. The Priority List is created by the LPGA to fill the required number of spots for any given tournament.

Without 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 unlikely to get into the tournament 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. Lydia Ko
2. Atthaya Thitikul
3. Brooke M. Henderson
4. Minjee Lee
5. Hye-Jin Choi
6. Jennifer Kupcho
7. Lexi Thompson
8. Xiyu Lin
9. In Gee Chun
10. Leona Maguire
11. Celine Boutier
12. Hyo Joo Kim
13. Nasa Hataoka
14. Danielle Kang
15. Andrea Lee
16. Nelly Korda
17. Ayaka Furue
18. Hannah Green
19. Jin Young Ko
20. Lilia Vu
21. Charley Hull
22. Jodi Ewart Shadoff
23. Madelene Sagstrom
24. Megan Khang
25. Gaby Lopez
26. Georgia Hall
27. 27. Ashleigh Buhai
28. Yuka Saso
29. Nanna Koerstz Madsen
30. Marina Alex
31. Paula Reto
32. Allisen Corpuz
33. Austin Ernst *
34. Jessica Korda
35. Gemma Dryburgh
36. Lizette Salas
37. Hinako Shibuno
38. Sei Young Kim
39. Narin An
40. A Lim Kim
41. Ally Ewing
42. Eun-Hee Ji
43. Carlota Ciganda
44. Cheyenne Knight
45. Jeongeun Lee6
46. Sarah Schmelzel
47. Elizabeth Szokol *
48. Chella Choi
49. Ryann O’Toole
50. Anna Nordqvist
51. Alison Lee
52. Pajaree Anannarukarn
53. Mina Harigae
54. Maja Stark
55. Moriya Jutanugarn
56. Amy Yang
57. Sophia Popov *
58. Inbee Park
59. Linn Grant
60. Matilda Castren
61. Caroline Masson
62. Sophia Schubert
63. Stacy Lewis
64. Patty Tavatanakit
65. Pornanong Phatlum
66. Perrine Delacour *
67. Ariya Jutanugarn
68. Jenny Shin
69. Maria Fassi
70. Daniela Darquea
71. Mel Reid *
72. Kelly Tan
73. Albane Valenzuela
74. Pauline Roussin
75. Wichanee Meechai
76. Brittany Altomare
77. Lindsey Weaver-Wright
78. Lauren Stephenson
79. Jaye Marie Green *
80. Frida Kinhult
81. Jane Park ***
82. Stephanie Kyriacou
83. Maude-Aimee Leblanc
84. Brittany Lincicome **
85. Angel Yin
86. Ayako Uehara *
87. Lauren Coughlin
88. Yealimi Noh
89. Emily Kristine Pedersen
90. Yani Tseng *

* Medical ** Maternity *** Family Leave

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.

91. Cristie Kerr

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 (1) whose most recent Major win was in 2017 will be eligible for this category through 2023, (2) whose most recent Major win was in 2018 will be eligible for this category through 2024, and (3) whose most recent Major win was in 2019 will be eligible for this category through 2025.)

92. Sung Hyun Park
93. So Yeon Ryu
94. Angela Stanford
95. Michelle Wie West **
96. Mi Jung Hur **
97. Hee Young Park *
98. In Kyung Kim
99. Mirim Lee
100. Pernilla Lindberg

* Medical ** Maternity

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.

101. Wei-Ling Hsu

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. (Note: Pursuant to the 2021 COVID-19 Regulations Addendum, Members whose most recent year with two wins was in 2019 will be eligible for this category through 2023.)

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

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. (Note: Pursuant to the 2021 COVID-19 Regulations Addendum, Members: (1) whose most recent year with three wins with was in 2018 will be eligible for this category through 2023, and (2) whose most recent year with three wins was 2019 will be eligible for this category through 2024.)

7. Non-Member Win: Players who have won at least one (1) Official Tournament as a Non-Member within the previous season or during the current season

Priority is based on the earliest date of such wins. A Player must be eligible for and accept LPGA membership to be included in this category. (Note: A Non-Member who wins a Major Championship in 2021 and after will be included in this category for the remainder of the season in which she wins and for five consecutive seasons thereafter.)

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 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 list. Ties are broken by the Members’ positions on the current season Priority List as of the Commitment Deadline for each respective reshuffle tournament.

9. Top-10 Epson Tour: Top 10 (and ties) on the previous season-ending Epson Tour Money List

Priority is based on their position on the list. Ties will be broken by the Members’ scoring average as of the end of the previous season. If still tied, refer to the previous season Epson Tournament and Player Regulations.

102. Linnea Strom
103. Xiaowen Yin
104. Lucy Li
105. Julieta Granada **
106. Kiira Riihijarvi
107. Grace Kim
108. Celine Borge
109. Gabriella Then
110. Gina Kim
111. Yan Liu
112. Hyo Joon Jang

** Maternity

10. Non-Member Top 40: 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 40th 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.

11. 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.

113. Stephanie Meadow
114. Emma Talley
115. Ruoning Yin
116. Morgane Metraux
117. Mariajo Uribe **
118. Jasmine Suwannapura
119. Marissa Steen *
120. Paula Creamer **
121. Katherine Kirk *
122. Haeji Kang
123. Esther Henseleit
124. Annie Park
125. Amanda Doherty
126. Peiyun Chien
127. Azahara Munoz **
128. Bronte Law
129. Jennifer Chang
130. Candie Kung *
131. Yu Liu
132. Sarah Kemp
133. Ruixin Liu
134. Aditi Ashok
135. Caroline Inglis

* Medical ** Maternity

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

13. Current-Year Reshuffle

After the First Reshuffle Tournament, Members in categories 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 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.

14. Top-20 Q-School

Players finishing Nos. 1-20 (and ties) at the previous year’s LPGA Q-Series. Ties will be broken in the following order: lowest final round; lowest 7th round; lowest 6th round; lowest 5th 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.

136. Hae Ran Ryu
137. Bailey Tardy
138. Valery Plata
139. Aline Krauter
140. Minami Katsu
141. Samantha Wagner
142. Chanettee Wannasaen
143. Linnea Johansson
144. Kum-Kang Park
145. Lauren Hartlage
146. Isi Gabsa
147. Luna Sobron Galmes
148. Yu-Sang Hou
149. Ines Laklalech
150. Dana Finkelstein
151. Polly Mack
152. Jennifer Song
153. Ellinor Sudow
154. Maddie Szeryk
155. Riley Rennell

15. Nos. 21-45 Q-School: Players finishing Nos. 21-45 (and ties) at the previous year’s LPGA Q-Series

Players finishing Nos. 21-45 (and ties) at the previous year’s LPGA Q-Series. Ties will be broken in the following order: lowest final round; lowest 7th round; lowest 6th round; lowest 5th 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.

16. Nos. 101-125: Members finishing Nos. 101-125 (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.

183. Gerina Mendoza
184. Jeongeun Lee5
185. Amy Olson
186. Muni He
187. Allison Emrey
188. Alena Sharp
189. Mi Hyang Lee
190. Yaeeun Hong
191. Brittany Lang
192. Bianca Pagdanganan
193. Tiffany Chan
194. Esther Lee *

* Medical ** Maternity

17. Tournament Winners: Members who won an Official Tournament while a Member within the previous twentyone (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.

195. Annika Sorenstam 196. Karrie Webb 197. Beth Daniel 198. Juli Inkster 199. Lorena Ochoa 200. Se Ri Pak 201. Meg Mallon 202. Suzann Pettersen 203. Rosie Jones 204. Liselotte Neumann 205. Shanshan Feng 206. Na Yeon Choi 207. Ai Miyazato 208. Mi Hyun Kim 209. Sherri Steinhauer 210. Rachel Hetherington 211. Helen Alfredsson 212. Hee-Won Han 213. Pat Hurst 214. Grace Park 215. Maria McBride 216. Catriona Matthew 217. Lorie Kane 218. Wendy Ward 219. Seon Hwa Lee 220. Dorothy Delasin 221. Christina Kim 222. Beatriz Recari 223. Emilee Klein 224. Wendy Doolan 225. Haru Nomura 226. Morgan Pressel 227. Jeong Jang 228. Laura Diaz 229. Sun Young Yoo 230. Karen Stupples 231. Janice Moodie 232. Jimin Kang 233. Patricia Meunier-Lebouc 234. Ji Young Oh 235. Heather Daly-Donofrio 236. Natalie Gulbis 237. Jee Young Lee 238. Mo Martin 239. Heather Bowie Young 240. Leta Lindley 241. Nicole Castrale 242. Moira Dunn-Bohls 243. Ilhee Lee 244. Kim Saiki-Maloney 245. Marisa Baena 246. Kris Tamulis 247. Lee-Anne Pace 248. Silvia Cavalleri 249. Cydney Clanton 250. Jennifer Johnson 251. Birdie Kim 252. Meaghan Francella 253. Eunjung Yi

18. Tournament Winners: Members who won an Official Tournament while a Member more than twenty-one (21) seasons prior

Ties are broken by the Members’ positions on the Career Money List as of the end of the previous season.

254. Betsy Rawls 255. Nancy Lopez 256. JoAnne Carner 257. Sandra Haynie 258. Patty Sheehan 259. Betsy King 260. Pat Bradley 261. Amy Alcott 262. Jane Blalock 263. Judy Rankin 264. Marlene Hagge 265. Donna Caponi 266. Laura Davies 267. Sandra Palmer 268. Hollis Stacy 269. Dottie Pepper 270. Ayako Okamoto 271. Jan Stephenson 272. Sally Little 273. Jane Geddes 274. Susie Maxwell Berning 275. Clifford Ann Creed 276. Shirley Englehorn 277. Christa Johnson 278. Mary Mills 279. Alice Miller 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. Jo Ann Prentice 289. Brandie Burton 290. Deb Richard 291. Barb Mucha 292. Cindy Rarick 293. Judy Dickinson 294. Penny Hammel 295. Kathy Postlewait 296. Mary Beth Zimmerman 297. Betty Burfeindt 298. Murle Breer 299. Sue Roberts 300. Nancy Scranton 301. Sherri Turner 302. Vicki Fergon 303. Martha Nause 304. Debbie Massey 305. Lauri Merten 306. Terry-Jo Myers 307. Donna White 308. Cathy Gerring 309. Pam Higgins 310. Gloria Ehret 311. Betsy Cullen 312. Michele Redman 313. Elaine Crosby 314. Dana Dormann 315. Gail Graham 316. Laurie Rinker 317. Jody Anschutz 318. Janet Coles 319. Anne Marie Palli 320. Jerilyn Britz 321. Kathy Guadagnino 322. Penny Pulz 323. Bonnie Lauer 324. Cindy Hill 325. Jan Ferraris 326. Tina Barrett 327. Kris Tschetter 328. Kelli Kuehne 329. Michelle Estill 330. Jane Crafter 331. Cindy Figg-Currier 332. Jenny Lidback 333. Becky Iverson 334. Charlotta Sorenstam 335. Cindy Schreyer 336. Kate Golden 337. Amy Fruhwirth 338. Missie McGeorge 339. Joan Pitcock 340. Marta Figueras-Dotti 341. Nanci Bowen 342. Allison Finney 343. Missie Berteotti 344. Cathy Johnston-Forbes 345. Kathryn Imrie 346. Mardi Lunn 347. Julie Piers 348. Barb Whitehead 349. Laurel Kean 350. Tracy Kerdyk 351. Cathy Morse 352. Lisa D’Amore 353. Carolyn Hill 354. Janet Anderson 355. Shirley Furlong 356. Lynn Adams 357. Becky Pearson 358. Dot Germain 359. Tina Fischer 360. Anne-Catherine Tanguay ** 361. Pat Meyers 362. Jennifer Wyatt 363. Susie McAllister 364. Patty Hayes 365. Tina Tombs 366. Lauren Howe 367. Sharon Barrett 368. Patty Jordan-Smith 369. Kathy Hite-James 370. Barbara Barrow 371. Bonnie Bryant 372. Pam Barnett

19. Nos. 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.

373. Haylee Harford
374. Sanna Nuutinen
375. Brooke Pancake *
376. Alana Uriell
377. Janie Jackson
378. Rachel Rohanna
379. Olivia Cowan
380. Jackie Stoelting **
381. Brianna Do
382. Agathe Laisne
383. Anne van Dam

* Medical ** Maternity

The LPGA will have two Priority List reshuffles during the 2023 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: Lydia Ko at the 2019 Hana Financial Group Championship – Photographer Ben Harpring