The LPGA Tour’s 2026 season is officially underway as the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions has begun at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Florida on January 29. The event, which made its tour debut in 2019, is a winners-only event where elite champions from the last two seasons compete for a $2.1 million purse. The tournament will have its final on February 1. 

Major names like Charley Hull, Jeeno Thitikul, Nelly Korda, and Rose Zhang have teed off from the event. Early momentum, however, belongs to English golfer Lottie Woad, who surged to the top of the leaderboard on day 1. Last year, the win was claimed by South Korea’s Kim A-lim as she finished at 20 under par. And on day 1 of the Hilton Grand Vacations 2026, she is tied for 9th position. Now, as the strong field aims to bag the winning prize purse, fans are curious whether the LPGA season opener has a cut. Here’s everything you need to know about the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions cut.

Is there a cut at the 2026 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions?

The Hilton Grand Vacations TOC evolved from a charity tournament that began in 2013.

It has transformed into a major season-opening tournament under the LPGA calendar. 39 qualified LPGA Tour players have participated in the event. Alongside them, 44 celebrities will play in their own separate competition. And the cut?

There is no cut for the professional field, allowing all 39 invited winners to play all four rounds. 

The event will follow a traditional 72-hole and stroke-play format. However, for the 44 celebrity players, it would be a points-based modified Stableford format.

The pointing format for the Hilton Grand Vacations TOC would be:

Double bogey(+) – 0 points

Bogey – 1 point

Par – 2 points

Birdie – 3 points

Eagle – 5 points

Hole-in-One – 8 points

Albatross – 10 points

Jeeno Thitikul (1), Nelly Korda (2), Miyu Yamashita (4), Charley Hull (5), and Lydia Ko (6) are the top five seeds according to the Rolex Rankings. Alongside the champion of 2025, the winners from 2024 (Lydia Ko) and 2023 (Brooke Henderson) will also play for the TOC. 2026 LPGA Rookie Youmin Hwang has stepped forward for the event and was tied for 4th in the initial phase.

Out of the 39 professional names, 12 are teeing off in an LPGA event for the first time.

The professional winner will secure a lump sum amount of $300,000 from the total prize money. The celebrities, on the other hand, will have a standalone competition for a $500,000 purse. $100,000 has been fixed as the prize money for the celebrity winner.