Florida Freeze Greets Champions
The LPGA Tour kicks off its 2026 season this week at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, and Mother Nature has delivered an unexpected twist. Players accustomed to Florida’s warmth found themselves bundling up in layers as temperatures plunged to near-freezing conditions.
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“It’s colder here than in the UK at the minute, which is a first,” said Charley Hull during Wednesday’s media day. The English star admitted she wore three pairs of pants during practice, joking that spectators probably thought she “enjoyed Christmas a bit too much.”
Even Lake Nona resident Lydia Ko seemed caught off guard.
“We had snow in Florida last year, and I thought it was one of those random things that happen every 10 or so years,” Ko said. “We’re pretty much getting to below zero in Celsius here, which maybe in other parts of the country they would be thankful, but when you’re in Florida it is a little bit of a surprise.”
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Tournament of Winners Returns
The Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions brings together 39 players who won on tour in 2025, marking the highest field count in the event’s eight-year history. That number reflects an extraordinary season where victories were spread across the tour, with only Jeeno Thitikul claiming multiple wins.
Defending champion A Lim Kim returns after her wire-to-wire victory last year, when she posted 20-under 268 and became the only player to record all four rounds in the 60s. The Korean star led the field with 24 birdies and never relinquished her position atop the leaderboard.
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This marks the sixth playing at Lake Nona, where Tom Fazio’s 1986 design presents unique challenges. The course features Poa trivialis overseed greens, making it one of only three U.S. courses on tour with that grass type last year.
World No. 1 Makes Tournament Debut
All eyes will be on Thitikul, who arrives as the reigning Rolex Player of the Year and world No. 1. The Thai sensation is making her first appearance at this event after a dominant 2025 campaign that included three victories and 14 top-10 finishes in 20 starts.
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Thitikul successfully defended her CME Group Tour Championship title to close out the season and broke Lorena Ochoa’s single-season earnings record in 2024. Despite her success, she downplayed expectations for the week.
“I feel like this week is kind of warmup week for us but it’s not warm for the weather,” Thitikul said with a smile. She revealed she’s been protecting a wrist injury that bothered her late last season, though she insists it’s now 100 percent healthy.
The 21-year-old also addressed the demands of being world No. 1.
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“Being like on top of the world, this thing is really important to us to, you know, balancing the time of practicing and then kind of sponsor service,” she explained. “Sometimes I think it’s a time to say no to some things that kind of, you know, like don’t let us do our job.”
Hall of Fame Pairing Highlights Thursday
Thursday’s opening round features a marquee grouping of Hall of Famers and Lake Nona residents. Ko will play alongside Annika Sorenstam and Charles Woodson in what promises to be one of the week’s most-watched groups.
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“I was super excited,” Ko said of the pairing. “Growing up she was literally the name that you saw every week. Unfortunately I wasn’t on tour yet when she was ending her career, so to have this kind of opportunity to compete alongside her is honestly a dream come true.”
Ko won this event in 2024 and knows Lake Nona’s subtleties well, though she admits the greens still fool her.
“I’ve been a member here for quite a while now and I still sometimes read the greens the other way round,” she said.
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Course Playing Longer in Cold
The frigid temperatures have transformed Lake Nona’s character. Charley Hull noted she hit a gap wedge into the 18th hole during a previous win but needed a 4-iron during Tuesday’s practice round. The course measures 6,642 yards at par-72, but the cold air is making it play significantly longer.
Director of Golf Course Maintenance Nick Dolimpio and his team have the course in pristine condition despite the weather. The greens are being cut to 0.095 inches and rolling at 11.5 to 12 feet on the Stimpmeter. One bright spot: Without hurricanes last year, there was no sodium added to the soil from storm rain, resulting in healthier overseed conditions.
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Hull, who won the Kroger Queen City Championship last year, embraces the challenge.
“I like the mental toughness of it,” she said about cold-weather golf. “I enjoy playing with my friends at home sometimes more than I do on tour because I’m at home, playing with my mates, we’re having banter.”
The tournament runs through Sunday with NBC and Golf Channel coverage throughout the week.
Related: Annika Sorenstam’s Son Will Caddie at Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions
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Related: Brooks Koepka Opens Up About His Return to the PGA Tour
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jan 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the Golf section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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