The Mizuho Americas Open only started in 2023, but it has already built a habit of making history. Rose Zhang won on her professional debut that first year, the first player to do that since 1951. Nelly Korda won in 2024. Jeeno Thitikul won in 2025. Now in 2026, #2 has achieved back-to-back victories, this time on a Donald Ross course in New Jersey, with a larger purse than in any previous edition. The total prize money at Mountain Ridge Country Club this week was $3.25 million, with $487,500 going to Thitikul for the win.

The winner’s check of $487,500 is 15 percent of the total purse, in line with the LPGA Tour’s standard distribution chart. Thitikul took home $450,000 for her 2025 victory, so the increased purse this year put an extra $37,500 in her pocket. The top 65 pros and ties through two rounds earned prize money this week, even though the cut fell at the top 50 and ties after 36 holes.

Beyond the money, the winner earned 500 Race to the CME Globe points and Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking points. Those CME Globe points directly feed into the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, where the top 60 in standings at the end of The Annika in November secure their spot, and the winner of that event takes home $4M. Winning the Mizuho Americas Open also carries a five-year LPGA Tour exemption and entry into other marquee events.

The things Mountain Ridge won’t tell you

Mountain Ridge Country Club was founded in 1912 by Jewish businessmen who were refused access at other local clubs, making it a refuge as much as a golf course from day one. In 1926, consultants Seth Raynor and George Banks told the club that no amount of money could build a satisfactory course on such hilly terrain. They were wrong.

Donald Ross designed it anyway, and his greens remain the course’s calling card: fast, contoured, and unforgiving. When Ron Prichard later restored the layout, he worked directly from Ross’s original 1900s sketches to rebuild the bunkers and greens as intended. A tin cup once hung on a chain at the 13th tee for golfers to drink from a nearby brook, a detail so small it barely appears anywhere in the club’s written history.

In May 2014, a Cessna made an emergency landing on the 5th fairway. The course sits beside Essex County Airport, so low-flying planes overhead are routine. Players in 2026 compared the setup to a British Open venue, and given the wind, the fescue mounds, and the closing stretch, that comparison holds up.

Final leaderboard: How it ended at the Mizuho Americas Open

Jeeno Thitikul won the 2026 Mizuho Americas Open at 13 under par, posting rounds of 67-69-70-69 to claim back-to-back titles. She came in seeking her second LPGA title of the year after missing the cut in The Chevron Championship, where Nelly Korda won and returned to No. 1 in the world.

Ruoning Yin finished solo second at 9 under with a closing 69, earning $306,559. Jenny Bae produced the best final round in the top group, closing with a 66 to tie for third alongside Alison Lee, Gaby Lopez, and Hye-Jin Choi, all finishing at 8 under and earning $161,544 each. Jenny Shin and Allisen Corpuz tied for seventh at 6 under for $88,955 each. Angel Yin and Erika Hara finished tied for 10th at 5 under for $68,534 each.

Now, how the rest of the season goes for Thitikul remains to be seen.