The LPGA has visited Shadow Creek for several years, but this season brings a brand new spark. The 2026 Aramco Championship takes place this week at this heralded golf course as the sixth event on the Ladies European Tour (LET) calendar and seventh event on the LPGA Tour. It is the first time a PIF Global Series event has been co-sanctioned by both the LET and the LPGA Tour.

Besides that, it is the first time since 2017 that the top 20 players from the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, including #1 Jeeno Thitikul, are all in attendance this week in an event that isn’t a major or the CME Tour Championship. Thitikul is joined by #2 Nelly Korda, the 2026 PIF Saudi Ladies International champion Charley Hull, recent two-time LET winner Hannah Green, and Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim, who is coming off a back-to-back winning streak on the LPGA recently for the $4 million purse. Jessica Korda and Anna Nordqvist are playing as sponsor exemptions.

The winner of the tournament will take home $600,000 (the standard 15 per cent payout according to the LPGA Tour’s prize money distribution chart), while the runner-up is slated to earn $377,303. Besides them, 63 other players in the 144-player field will earn a portion of the $4 million purse if they make the cut after the second round.

Below is the full breakdown of how the purse is distributed for the 2026 Aramco Championship:

Beyond money, the tournament offers a suite of perks that significantly impact a player’s season, especially for the tournament winner. The winner earns 500 Race to the CME Globe points, which is

And with that much on the line, every shot matters because the leaderboard is already shifting like the sands of Nevada. As the second round closes, the pressure is rising for the stars at Shadow Creek.

Who is dominating the 2026 Aramco Championship?

Lauren Coughlin is currently leading the pack after a brilliant surge through the first 36 holes. Coughlin, who was runner-up in the 2025 Match Play, utilized her extensive knowledge of Shadow Creek to surge into the lead before the wind started to howl loudly.

She entered the day in a three-way tie for the lead after opening with a 67. But now, she has created a clear separation with a 3-under-par in the second round. Coughlin nearly won here last year when it was a match-play event before falling to Madelene Sagstrom in the final pairing.

Leona Maguire is trailing the lead by 5 shots with a 3-under-par total and is currently sitting in second place. Maguire shared the difficulties she faced after the round.

“It’s almost bordering on a U.S. Open-style setup,” Maguire said. “You see how few people are under par. It feels a little bit like a major without being a major.”

Wind gusts of 20 mph or higher made the round difficult. The number of players under par dropped by more than half from Thursday to Friday. Only 11 players shot below par on Friday compared to 26 on Thursday. The 2025 British Open champion Miyu Yamashita experienced the same. Yamashita went in the water on the par-3 17th and then took three shots to get on the green. This dropped her 5-under-par total to only 2 under par, tying him with Nelly Korda (74) and Nanna Koerstz Madsen (70) for T4.

Meanwhile, Hyo Joo Kim, who was seeking her third straight win, started the day at a 4-under-par total. But she eventually ended up at 3 under par after a +1 score throughout the day with three bogeys and 1 double bogey. Jessica Korda also struggled with a +5 total. She was making only her second start after returning from motherhood and playing as a sponsor’s exemption.