
via Imago
Image Courtesy: IMAGO

via Imago
Image Courtesy: IMAGO
The 2025 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions is done! The season-opening event of the LPGA Tour saw some great action across all 4 days of the tournament. But in the end, A Lim Kim dominated the Lake Nona Golf course to win the title for 2025. She played 2 fewer strokes than the field that included Nelly Korda who was breathing down her neck in the final round on Sunday. With all things said and done, the LPGA Tour stars will have to move on to the next tournament of the season, with hopes of better play.
The 2025 Founders Cup is the next goal for the top golfers in the world. They will be heading to the Bradenton Country Club in Florida this weekend to participate in the tournament. But out of the 120 players, who has the best chance of winning the title? Let’s take a look at the entry list provided on the official LPGA Tour website to determine the 5 favorite pros who can win the 2025 Founders Cup presented by the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Nelly Korda
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After everything that Nelly Korda achieved in 2024, there is no doubt she will be one of the favorites in any tournament she plays. The 2025 Founders Cup is no different for the world no. 1. Interestingly the Founders Cup has been one event that Korda has not been able to overcome over the years. Her last year’s T7 finish in the tournament might seem impressive. But if you look at the leaderboard, you will see that she was 17 strokes off the top of the leaderboard. One can even say that Rose Zhang, who won the 2024 title, was just too dominant to give anyone else a chance. But after the record-breaking season she had, we’re sure Nelly Korda will be looking forward to turning her luck around in the Founders Cup this year.
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Jin Young Ko
Unlike Nelly Korda, Jin Young Ko has actually performed tremendously well in the previous Founders Cup events. In fact, she can also be considered one of the best players in the tournament. Ko has won the tournament 3 times in the last 5 editions of the Founders Cup. She had consecutive wins in 2019 and 2021. Unfortunately, she couldn’t go 3 in a row as she finished at T17 in 2022. But Ko made a comeback in 2023, defeating the defending champion; Minjee Lee to grab the title for the third time. There is no question that Jin Young Ko knows how to win the Founders Cup. It’s just the question of, whether will she be able to overcome the threat imposed by Nelly Korda and win it for the 4th time in her career.
Lydia Ko
The 2024 Paris Olympics gold medalist and AIG Women’s Open champion; Lydia Ko will be yearning for another successful season in 2025. Unfortunately, she couldn’t defend her Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions title last weekend. But there is no doubt that Ko will be fighting for the Founders Cup title this week. She has come incredibly close to winning the title in the past. In 2014, Ko finished at T2 in the tournament, losing only by a single stroke. In a much less dominant performance, the New Zealander finished in 2nd place again in 2016. However, the deficit was of 5 strokes the second time. Going into the 2025 Founders Cup, Lydia Ko will be eager to turn those near misses into finally winning the title this time around.
Charley Hull
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Charley Hull has been on a huge journey since late 2024. She has been achieving her health goals and focusing on constantly improving her performance on the course. Amid concerns of her rigorous fitness regime, her incredible body transformation is evident and she also got back to winning ways in the LET last year. However, there is still one thing that she hasn’t been able to mark off her checklist yet. Hull is yet to break her losing streak in the LPGA Tour. It has been over 2 years since Charley Hull last won an LPGA Tour event. And looking at how she has been rigorously preparing for it during the holiday period, there is no doubt the English golfer is a firm favorite to win the 2025 Founders Cup.
Lexi Thompson
Surprise, surprise! Look who is back on the golf course. Lexi Thompson retired as a full-time professional golfer last year. She had been planning to focus on her own health and life goals. During the break, Thompson got to work on herself and showed off the fruits of her amazing fitness journey. She also got engaged with her long-time boyfriend, Max Provost, in January 2025. Now that Thompson has seen such incredible progress in her life, she is back to conquer the course as a professional golfer. The 29-year-old nearly managed to win the Founders Cup in 2022. She finished 2nd, 2 strokes off the top against Minjee Lee. This time around, Lexi Thompson will be planning to win a title she has never won in her career and add a major achievement to her 2025 calendar.
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These were some of the biggest names who could possibly win the tournament this year. The defending champion, Rose Zhang, would have also made the list. Unfortunately, she has chosen not to participate in the 2025 Founders Cup. Alternatively, the HGV Tournament of Champions winner, A Lim Kim, could have also been a favorite. But she, too, has withdrawn from the tournament this weekend.
Now that we have placed our bets, whom do you have your money on for the 14th edition of the Founders Cup in 2025? Let us know in the comments section.
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Debate
Can Nelly Korda finally conquer the Founders Cup, or will Jin Young Ko steal the spotlight again?
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Can Nelly Korda finally conquer the Founders Cup, or will Jin Young Ko steal the spotlight again?
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