There will be 144 golfers at the JM Eagle LA Championship from April 16 to 19, 2026, at El Caballero Country Club. The prize pool is $3.75 million. Robert Trent Jones Sr. redesigned El Caballero in 1963, and Rees Jones restored it in 2021. It has already produced Hall of Fame champions Seri Pak and Annika Sorenstam. Fifteen of the top 25 players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings are in the 2026 field. This makes the winner one of the most hard-earned titles of the season.

1. Ingrid Lindblad

Lindblad owns this course. In her third LPGA Tour start, she shot a career-low 9-under 63 in round two, tying the tournament scoring record. She then shot a 4-under 68 to win at 21-under 267. She made crucial par saves at key moments, and no one in this field had ever beaten El Caballero before her. Having knowledge of a challenging Robert Trent Jones design is a significant advantage heading into 2026.

The sophomore season has been rough, though. Two missed cuts at the Ford Championship and the Fortinet Founders Cup, a best finish of T53 at the Honda LPGA Thailand, and just $36,775 in earnings. In an April 2026 interview, she admitted to struggling with confidence off the tee, which is a significant issue on a tree-lined course where driving accuracy directly shapes your round.

Returning to the site of her first win with full course familiarity adds an intriguing layer. Can she rediscover the form that made her a champion here while working through a genuine confidence issue? That tension makes her one of the more compelling watches of the week.

2. Hannah Green

Green is the only two-time champion of this event. She won the 2023 inaugural at Wilshire Country Club in a playoff after holing a 25-foot birdie on the 72nd hole, then returned in 2024 to win wire-to-wire by three strokes at 12-under 272, setting the tournament record. Two wins, two entirely different ways to get it done.

The caveat matters here. Both wins came at Wilshire, which she called “kind” to her game. The 2026 tournament is at El Caballero, where she did not win in 2025. Her LA Championship dominance is real but venue-specific, and that is worth weighing honestly when assessing her odds.

What offsets that is her 2026 form. Hannah Green won the HSBC Women’s World Championship in March, then won the Women’s Australian Open and the Australian WPGA Championship in back-to-back weeks, three wins across two tours in roughly three weeks. She is currently ranked No. 8 in the world and holds the 4th position in scoring average on the LPGA Tour. The only concern is her missed cut at the Aramco Championship the week prior to this event, where she scored 75-77.

Whether that affects her momentum at El Caballero or she resets quickly will be worth watching.

3. Hyo Joo Kim

Kim’s best result here is a T17 in 2024, which is underwhelming for a nine-time LPGA winner ranked No. 3 in the world. But El Caballero rewarded first-time winner Lindblad in 2025, so peak form matters more than course history at this venue.

Her 2026 season has been remarkable. Back-to-back wins at the Fortinet Founders Cup and the Ford Championship, beating Nelly Korda in both final weeks. At the Ford Championship she set the 54-hole scoring record at 25-under 191 and became the first player ever to shoot 61 twice in the same tournament, posting 78.5% fairway accuracy and 83.3% greens in regulation that week. She currently leads the Race to CME Globe.

Coming in with back-to-back wins and elite ball-striking numbers, can she carry that momentum and add the LA Championship to her 2026 haul? Given her limited history at this venue, it is one of the more intriguing questions of the week.

4. Miyu Yamashita

Yamashita’s JM Eagle LA Championship history is limited to one start in 2025, her first LPGA season. But she validated herself fast, winning the 2025 AIG Women’s Open in her rookie year after 13 JLPGA wins and back-to-back Player of the Year awards in 2022 and 2023. The talent level was never the question.

Her game, which is built on exceptional putting and accuracy rather than power, suits El Caballero well. Robert Trent Jones designs reward positioning and precision on approach, not distance, and that is how Yamashita plays. She enters the tournament ranked world No. 6, listed at 12 to 1, which reflects her elite ability alongside the thin course record.

Her 2026 season has been consistent without a win yet, competing at the HSBC Women’s World Championship and Aramco Championship while holding her top-10 ranking. A major champion in year two with a course that fits her style. Can she go one step further this week and claim her first LPGA win outside of a major? It sets up as an intriguing watch.

5. Minjee Lee

Lee’s JM Eagle LA Championship record is the most consistent in this field outside Green. T3 at the 2022 predecessor event, T7 in both 2023 and 2024, then a second-round 65 to reach 12 under through 36 holes in 2025, her strongest start at this event yet. She is also the 2019 Wilshire winner, giving her a Los Angeles track record spanning nearly a decade. Four straight years of finishing in or near the top 10 here is no coincidence.

The gap in her record is Sunday. She consistently positions herself through 36 holes but has not closed it out at El Caballero yet. The 2025 performance was her best attempt, and it coincided with her switch to a long putter that has since had a full season to settle in.

She enters 2026 ranked No. 5 in the world after 2025, where she won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the ANNIKA Major Award. In 2026, she held a joint lead after three rounds at the HSBC Women’s World Championship and finished top-5 at the Fortinet Founders Cup. She finished in the top-9 on the tour in regulation greens, demonstrated a solid putting setup, and achieved the best record of any player yet to win the LA Championship. She just needs Sunday to go her way.