The Chevron Championship 2026 preview, picks & analysis

The first women’s major of the year gets under way at Memorial Park in Texas this week, with the cream of the sport competing for the Chevron Championship.

The tournament has only been classified as a major since 1983 and has had several names. At its debut in 1972 as a 54-hole event, it was the richest event in women's golf, its purse more than double that of the US Women’s Open.

After more than 20 years of sponsorship by Nabisco, Japanese airline All Nippon became the title sponsor of the tournament in late 2014, renaming the tournament the ANA Inspiration.

In October 2021, a six-year sponsorship agreement with Chevron was announced that would see the tournament renamed The Chevron Championship, with an increased prize fund of $5 million in 2022 (up from $3 million in 2021).

It was also announced that the tournament would move from its iconic home of Mission Hills in California to the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at The Club at Carlton Woods in Texas in 2023, with a new mid-April scheduling. But in January this year a move to Memorial Park was announced.

Twelve months ago Mao Saigo came through a five-way play-off to win and claim the first major title of her career.

She carded a birdie at the 18th hole to record a final round 74 and secure a play-off spot along with American Lindy Duncan, Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, South Korea's Hyo-Joo Kim and China's Yin Ruoning. All five finished on seven under par at The Club at Carlton Woods in Texas to set up the largest play-off at an LPGA major.

Jutanugarn, a two-time major champion, had led for most of the final day and needed a par at the last hole to win but, after her ball only moved slightly when she nearly missed it completely with her third shot, she carded a bogey.

At the first play-off hole - which was the par five 18th - Kim, Yin and Jutanugarn made par and there was a bogey for Duncan. Saigo then sank a five foot putt to win it with a birdie to claim her first victory in the United States.

"I was so laser focused and nervous and really in the zone," said Saigo. "All I could think of was the ball in front of me. I couldn't see anything else. I was shaking from nervousness, but I did my best to calm down and I shot and it went in."

Speaking through a translator, she added: "It was my dream to earn this major. It is my first time to win this tournament. I was able to realise my dream and I'm very happy about this."

Asked about her aims for the future, Saigo said: "I want to shoot for number one in the world."

Duncan, who was in the final group with Saigo and also trying to win a first major, birdied the 18th hole to make the play-off. "I think I'll take so many great memories but also like an internal strength to just keep pushing no matter what, no matter how it feels," she said.

Charley Hull will once again start the tournament as one of the favourites and her first major win is long overdue. She is one of the most exciting talents in women’s golf but really should have achieved more than she has. She has gone close in several majors, most notably the US Open and Women’s Open. She finished tied second in this tournament but that was 10 years ago. It seems scarcely credible to me that she has only won three times on the LPGA Tour, the most recent coming in September last year when she claimed the Kroger Queen City Championship.

Earlier this year she also picked up the PIF Saudi Ladies International on the Ladies European Tour in sensational fashion.

There are few certainties in golf but I would be prepared to put my house on Lottie Woad winning a major - and soon. The Englishwoman has made a sensational start to her professional career and is already in the top 10 in the world rankings.

In July 2025, she won the Women’s Irish Open by six strokes as an amateur and she followed that with a tied third at Evian. She would jump to 64th in the world rankings while still an amateur.

Woad turned professional after the Evian Championship. Her finish earned her enough points in the LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway (LEAP) to secure an LPGA Tour card for 2025 and 2026.

In July she won her first title as a professional after claiming a three-shot victory at the Women’s Scottish Open -  the first tournament she played after turning professional. She then finished tied eighth at the Women’s Open and third at the Kroger Queen City behind Hull.

Sweden’s Maja Stark is the current US Women’s Open champion and is a hugely talented player who is surely destined to win more majors.

She represented her country at the European Girls Team Championship, where Sweden won the silver in 2016 and the gold in 2017. She was then part of the Swedish teams that won the European Ladies’ Team Championship in 2018, 2019 and 2020. 

She rose to sixth place in the world amateur rankings in July 2020 and received an exemption for the 2020 US Women’s Open, where she finished tied for 13th. At the 2021 US Women’s Open she was tied for ninth after the third round, and finished tied for 16th after a final round of 74.

She turned professional in August 2021, and won her first professional title, the PGA Championship by Trelleborgs Kommun on the LET Access Series in only her second career start the same month.

In early September, Stark claimed her first LET title at the Creekhouse Ladies Open, in the process earning membership of the LET. Less than a month later, she won her second LET title at the Estrella Damm Ladies Open.

Stark started her 2022 LET season superbly. She was runner-up and low woman at the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Stableford in Thailand. She was runner-up at the Australian Ladies Classic and then won the Women’s NSW Open.

In July she won the German Masters, claiming top place in the Order of Merit. And in August she won the ISPS Handa World Invitational in Northern Ireland by five shots. The event, co-sanctioned between the LPGA and LET, earned her membership of the LPGA Tour.  

Stark started 2023 with a runner-up finish at the Tournament of Champions in January and won her sixth LET title at the Laila Meryem Cup in February. In September, she represented Europe in the Solheim Cup for the first time. She went 2-1-1 in the event, including a Sunday singles win against the reigning US Open champion Allisen Corpuz as Europe retained the trophy.

In April 2024, Stark finished second to world number one Nelly Korda at the Chevron Championship and was also awarded honorary membership of the PGA of Sweden.

Tournament Winners:

It was won in 2020 by Mirim Lee, in 2021 by Patty Tavatanakit, in 2022 by Jennifer Kupcho, in 2023 by Lilia Vu, in 2024 by Nelly Korda and last year by Mai Saigo.

The Course:

Memorial Park underwent a major renovation programme in 2019, overseen by Tom Doak. One of the most intriguing features of the course is the state-of-the-art storm water irrigation system designed to capture and retain 80 million gallons of storm water for irrigation purposes removing the golf course's irrigation from the city's potable water system. It is a public course - locals pay just $30 for 18 holes.

Form Guide:

Lottie Woad has made a sensational start to her professional career and is a major champion in waiting - and why not this week?

World number one Jeeno Thitikul is still waiting to clinch her first major championship title.

Prize Money:

Total prize money is $8m, with the champion collecting $1.2m.

How to Watch:

Thursday, April 23, Friday, April 24, Sky Sports Golf, 4pm; Saturday, April 25, Sunday, April 26, Sky Sports Golf, 7pm.

To Win:

Lottie Woad. Fearless

Each Way:

Jeeno Thitikul. Consistently good

Each Way:

Charley Hull. Always fun to watch

Five to Follow:

Lottie Woad. Wonderful temperament

Jeeno Thitikul. Glorious short game

Charley Hull. Only way she knows is to attack

Nelly Korda. Can win anywhere

Maja Stark. Has every shot in the book