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. Nelly Korda

2. Haeran Ryu

3. Lydia Ko

4. Jeeno Thitikul

5. Ruoning Yin

6. Ayaka Furue

7. Hannah Green

8. Lauren Coughlin

9. Mao Saigo

10. Sei Young Kim

11. Lilia Vu

12. Jin Young Ko

13. Brooke M. Henderson

14. Ally Ewing

15. Celine Boutier

16. Hye-Jin Choi

17. Chanettee Wannasaen

18. Maja Stark

19. Yuka Saso

20. Patty Tavatanakit

21. Rose Zhang

22. Jin Hee Im

23. Jennifer Kupcho

24. Megan Khang

25. Narin An

26. Nataliya Guseva

27. Angel Yin

28. A Lim Kim

29. Linn Grant

30. Nasa Hataoka

31. Charley Hull

32. Gabriela Ruffels

33. Austin Ernst **

34. Lucy Li

35. Jessica Korda **

36. Amy Yang

37. Lizette Salas *

38. Sarah Schmelzel

39. Ariya Jutanugarn

40. Yealimi Noh

41. Marina Alex

42. Esther Henseleit

43. Yu Liu *

44. Nanna Koerstz Madsen

45. Jasmine Suwannapura

46. Andrea Lee

47. Jenny Shin

48. Allisen Corpuz

49. Chella Choi **

50. Albane Valenzuela

51. Grace Kim

52. Moriya Jutanugarn

53. Pajaree Anannarukarn

54. Xiyu Lin

55. Lexi Thompson

56. Bailey Tardy

57. Sophia Popov **

58. Inbee Park **

59. Madelene Sagstrom

60. Arpichaya Yubol

61. Minjee Lee

62. Caroline Masson **

 63. Mi Hyang Lee

64. Linnea Strom

65. Ryann O’Toole

66. Leona Maguire

67. Sarah Kemp *

68. Hyo Joo Kim

69. Carlota Ciganda

70. Gaby Lopez

71. Stephanie Kyriacou

72. Auston Kim

73. Hinako Shibuno

74. Alexa Pano

75. Ashleigh Buhai

76. Alison Lee

77. Brittany Altomare **

78. Ruixin Liu

79. Jaye Marie Green **

80. Yuna Nishimura

81. Peiyun Chien

82. Somi Lee

83. Stephanie Meadow *

84. Hira Naveed

85. Anna Nordqvist

86. Georgia Hall

87. Paula Reto

88. Wei-Ling Hsu

89. Wichanee Meechai

90. Minami Katsu

91. Gemma Dryburgh

92. Lindsey Weaver-Wright **

93. Kristen Gillman

* Medical

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.

94. Stacy Lewis

95. Paula Creamer *

96. Mi Jung Hur **

* Medical

** Maternity

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.)

97. In Gee Chun

98. Mirim Lee

99. Sung Hyun Park *

100. Jeongeun Lee6

* 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.

101. Cheyenne Knight

102. Elizabeth Szokol

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.

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 season with three wins was 2019 will be eligible for this category through the 2024 season.)

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 membership to be included in this category. Beginning in 2024, a Non-Member who wins an Official Tournament 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.

103. Rio Takeda

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.

104. Lauren Stephenson

105. Yahui Zhang

106. Fatima Fernandez Cano

107. Jessica Porvasnik

108. Brooke Matthews

109. Ingrid Lindblad

110. Natasha Andrea Oon *

111. Jenny Bae

112. Fiona Xu

113. Madison Young

114. Cassie Porter

115. Jenny Coleman *

* Medical

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.

11. Points #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.

116. Yu Jin Sung

117. Weiwei Zhang

118. Emily Kristine Pedersen

119. Lauren Hartlage

120. Hyo Joon Jang

121. Aditi Ashok

122. Ssu-Chia Cheng

123. Mel Reid **

124. Yan Liu

125. Lindy Duncan

126. Frida Kinhult

127. Bianca Pagdanganan

128. Xiaowen Yin

129. Jodi Ewart Shadoff

130. Karis Davidson *

131. Nicole Broch Estrup

132. Morgane Metraux

133. Savannah Grewal

134. Jiwon Jeon

135. Dani Holmqvist *

136. Celine Borge

137. 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.

138. Eun-Hee Ji

139. Danielle Kang

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.

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.

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.

140. Miyu Yamashita

141. Chisato Iwai

142. Pauline Roussin-Bouchard

143. Manon De Roey

144. Akie Iwai

145. Gigi Stoll

146. Ina Yoon

147. Yuri Yoshida

148. Julia Lopez Ramirez

149. Dewi Weber

150. Kumkang Park

151. Gurleen Kaur

152. Adela Cernousek

153. Mariel Galdiano

154. Soo Bin Joo

155. Azahara Munoz

156. Benedetta Moresco

157. Mary Liu

158. Kate Smith-Stroh

159. Ana Belac

160. Caley Mcginty

161. Alena Sharp

162. Maude-Aimee Leblanc

163. Saki Baba

164. Amanda Doherty

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.

165. Polly Mack

166. Pornanong Phatlum

167. Sofia Garcia

168. Daniela Iacobelli

169. Mone Inami

170. Miranda Wang

171. Heather Lin

172. Olivia Cowan

173. Haeji Kang

174. Perrine Delacour

175. Robyn Choi

176. Jennifer Chang

177. In Kyung Kim

178. Jing Yan

179. Liqi Zeng

80. Malia Nam

181. Maria Fassi

182. Jeongeun Lee5

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. 183. Annika Sorenstam 184. Karrie Webb 185. Juli Inkster 186. Amy Olson ** 187. Lorena Ochoa 188. Se Ri Pak 189. Cristie Kerr 190. Meg Mallon 191. Suzann Pettersen 192. Yani Tseng 193. Liselotte Neumann 194. Na Yeon Choi 195. Brittany Lincicome 196. Ai Miyazato 197. Mi Hyun Kim 198. Sherri Steinhauer 199. Angela Stanford 200. So Yeon Ryu 201. Hee-Won Han 202. Pat Hurst 203. Grace Park 204. Michelle Wie West 205. Maria McBride 206. Catriona Matthew 207. Candie Kung 208. Wendy Ward 209. Seon Hwa Lee 210. Christina Kim 211. Hee Young Park 212. Katherine Kirk 213. Wendy Doolan 214. Haru Moon 215. Morgan Pressel 216. Brittany Lang 217. Jeong Jang 218. Sun Young Yoo 219. Karen Stupples 220. Jimin Kang 221. Ji Young Oh 222. Heather Daly-Donofrio 223. Sandra Gal 224. Natalie Gulbis 225. Julieta Granada 226. Jee Young Lee 227. Pernilla Lindberg 228. Mo Martin 229. Heather Bowie Young 230. Leta Lindley 231. Nicole Castrale 232. Moira Dunn-Bohls 233. Ilhee Lee 234. Kim Saiki-Maloney 235. Bronte Law 236. Lee-Anne Pace 237. Marisa Baena 238. Kris Tamulis 239. Annie Park 240. Matilda Castren 241. Cydney Clanton 242. Silvia Cavalleri 243. Jennifer Johnson 244. Birdie Kim 245. Meaghan Francella 246. Eunjung Yi ** Maternity

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. 247. Nancy Lopez 248. JoAnne Carner 249. Sandra Haynie 250. Patty Sheehan 251. Betsy King 252. Beth Daniel 253. Pat Bradley 254. Amy Alcott 255. Jane Blalock 256. Judy Rankin 257. Donna Caponi 258. Laura Davies 259. Sandra Palmer 260. Hollis Stacy 261. Dottie Pepper 262. Jan Stephenson 263. Sally Little 264. Rosie Jones 265. Jane Geddes 266. Clifford Ann Creed 267. Christa Johnson 268. Mary Mills 269. Alice Miller 270. Rachel Hetherington 271. Sandra Post 272. Tammie Green 273. Danielle Ammaccapane 274. Michelle McGann 275. Debbie Austin 276. Kathy Cornelius 277. Donna Andrews 278. Val Skinner 279. Jo Ann Prentice 280. Brandie Burton 281. Deb Richard 282. Barb Mucha 283. Lorie Kane 284. Cindy Rarick 285. Judy Dickinson 286. Dorothy Delasin 287. Penny Hammel 288. Kathy Postlewait 289. Mary Beth Zimmerman 290. Betty Burfeindt 291. Murle Breer 292. Sue Roberts 293. Emilee Klein 294. Nancy Scranton 295. Sherri Turner 296. Vicki Fergon 297. Martha Nause 298. Debbie Massey 299. Lauri Merten 300. Terry-Jo Myers 301. Donna White 302. Cathy Gerring 303. Pam Higgins 304. Gloria Ehret 305. Betsy Cullen 306. Laura Diaz 307. Janice Moodie 308. Michele Redman 309. Elaine Crosby 310. Dana Dormann 311. Patricia Meunier-Lebouc 312. Gail Graham 313. Laurie Rinker 314. Jody Anschutz 315. Janet Coles 316. Anne Marie Palli 317. Jerilyn Britz 318. Kathy Guadagnino 319. Bonnie Lauer 320. Cindy Hill 321. Jan Ferraris 322. Tina Barrett 323. Kris Tschetter 324. Kelli Kuehne 325. Michelle Estill 326. Jane Crafter 327. Cindy Figg-Currier 328. Jenny Lidback 329. Becky Iverson 330. Charlotta Sorenstam 331. Cindy Schreyer 332. Kate Golden 333. Amy Fruhwirth 334. Missie McGeorge 335. Joan Pitcock 336. Marta Figueras-Dotti 337. Nanci Bowen 338. Allison Finney 339. Missie Berteotti 340. Cathy Johnston-Forbes 341. Kathryn Imrie 342. Mardi Lunn 343. Julie Piers 344. Barb Whitehead 345. Laurel Kean 346. Tracy Kerdyk 347. Cathy Morse 348. Lisa D’Amore 349. Carolyn Hill 350. Janet Anderson 351. Shirley Furlong 352. Lynn Adams 353. Becky Pearson 354. Dot Germain 355. Tina Fischer 356. Pat Meyers 357. Jennifer Wyatt 358. Susie McAllister 359. Patty Hayes 360. Tina Tombs 361. Lauren Howe 362. Sharon Barrett 363. Patty Jordan-Smith 364. Barbara Barrow 365. Bonnie Bryant 366. 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.

367. Minji Kang

368. Kaitlyn Papp Budde

369. Dottie Ardina

370. Isabella Fierro

371. Yue Ren

372. Alexandra Forsterling

373. Natthakritta Vongtaveelap

374. Emma Talley

375. Aline Krauter

376. Jaravee Boonchant

377. Rachel Rohanna **

378. Daniela Darquea

379. Kiira Riihijarvi

** Maternity

2025 Reshuffles

The LPGA will have two Priority List reshuffles during the 2025 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: Wei-Ling Hsu at the 2024 JM Eagle LA Championship – Photographer Ben Harpring. All photos in this article are by Ben.