The Fortinet Founders Cup, previously the Cognizant Founders Cup, is one of the most prestigious events on the LPGA Tour. It is scheduled to be played from March 19 to March 22, 2026, at Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club. As a renowned stop on the Tour, it features a strong field. Both World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul and World No. 2 Nelly Korda are in the field to win the $450,000 winner’s share of the $3 million purse. While the field looks good, some big names are not there this weekend. Here’s a breakdown of the top three players skipping the event.

Charley Hull

Fans won’t see world No. 3 Charley Hull in California. She recently won the PIF Saudi Ladies International in February 2026. It is the only event on the Ladies European Tour that boasts the same prize money as the men’s edition. The win got her a $750,000 paycheck. One might think that she would like to continue the momentum and try to win her fourth LPGA title. However, the 3x LPGA winner is not in the 144-player field at the Fortinet Founders Cup 2026.

There’s no official reason given by Charley Hull or the LPGA about her absence, but her past health struggles do give a hint. Doctors recently diagnosed her with a virus that hospitalized her. Even at the 2026 HSBC Women’s World Championship, the world No. 3 revealed that she was not supposed to play.

“I just had some health issues, but I’m feeling a lot better now,” she said after the 2nd round at the event. “I shouldn’t have come here, but I really wanted to play because I would have had four or five weeks off. So I wanted to just come out and play anyway.”

Her comments from the 2026 HSBC Women’s World Championship indicate that she had already planned to take a few weeks off. Besides that, she also suffered a ligament tear in late 2025. This sidelined her for weeks. Although there’s no direct link, this could also be a possible reason she is skipping the Founders Cup 2026.

Hannah Green

Australia’s Hannah Green defended her HSBC Women’s World Championship title on March 1, 2026. She previously won the event in 2024. She carded rounds of 71, 66, 68, and 69 to finish at 14-under 274 and win the event. Green faced strong competition from Auston Kim, who was eyeing her maiden title. Green also won the Australian WPGA Championship 2026.

But amid these consistent plays, she decided not to participate in the Fortinet Founders Cup 2026. There’s no official announcement on why she is not playing. This means she is unlikely to be injured. It could be a personal choice to give her body some rest. Regardless of the reason, it would be a loss for fans not to see the World No. 7 play in California this week.

Ruoning Yin

Ruoning Yin turned professional in 2022. Since then, the Chinese golfer has already won 5 LPGA events, including the 2023 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Alongside the major, she also claimed the DIO Implant LA Open in 2023. Her next three wins came in 2024 at the Dow Championship, Buick LPGA Shanghai, and the Maybank Championship. Jeeno Thitikul was her playing partner at the 2024 Dow Championship.

After her last victory at the Maybank Championship in October 2024, she has won no event on the LPGA Tour. The closest she came to a win last year was two runner-up finishes at the Chevron Championship 2025 and the Black Desert Championship 2025. While she had a decent start this year, all her 2026 finishes are below the top 10. The Fortinet Founders Cup 2026 could have been an excellent opportunity for the Chinese professional. However, it looks like her next title will have to wait for at least one more week.

The field at the Fortinet Founders Cup remains stacked with elite contenders. Yet, the absence of Charley Hull, Hannah Green, and Ruoning Yin leaves a noticeable gap in the competition.