Two years ago, the Nelly Invitational was a strong junior event. Now it has a title sponsor, the highest travel stipends in AJGA stroke-play history, and a direct route into the Chevron Championship. So let’s learn more about the May 23 golf tournament in Bradenton.

Who is playing at the Nelly Invitational 2026?

The 2026 field has 66 girls, competing across 54 holes of stroke play. Lisa Coetzer of Benoni, South Africa, ranked 13th, earned her spot through the World Amateur Golf Rankings, which the AJGA uses to pull in top international players who may not hold AJGA membership. Her club, Ebotse Links, announced the invitation publicly in April, calling it “Ebotse Excellence on the Global Stage.”

Past champion Shauna Liu, who won the 2025 edition in a sudden-death playoff over Clara Ding on the first hole, returns at No. 41. Liu’s run to the title was dramatic: she shot a closing 65 to share the low-round record with Ding, then held her nerve in the playoff. That win earned the 17-year-old a direct exemption into the Chevron Championship, where she became one of eight amateurs in the field that Chevron’s pathway helped create. After the experience, Liu said she had “so much gratitude” for Nelly Korda.

Aphrodite Deng, the 2024 champion from Short Hills, N.J., is at No. 17. Deng owns two tournament records, the low 36-hole total of 137 (-7) and the low 54-hole total of 214 (-2), both set in 2024 when she won at -2 overall. Clara Ding, who pushed Liu to a playoff last year, is back at No. 19.

The international makeup of the field is wide. Players are coming from Canada, South Africa, Australia, China, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, and Peru. Ann-Sophie Bourgault of Gatineau, Quebec, leads the list at No. 1, with Claire Brooks of Scottsdale at No. 2. Several players hold graduation years as early as 2026, meaning this could be one of their last major junior appearances before collegiate golf.

Course details: The concession golf club

Designed by Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin, The Concession Golf Club spans over 520 acres of native Florida wilderness in Bradenton. The course carries a rating of 78.6 and a slope of 153 from the girls’ tees, playing to 6,273 yards at par 72. The front nine covers 3,168 yards and the back nine 3,105, with both halves equally demanding.

The course has earned the nickname “The Concussion” for good reason. Four of the five hardest holes are par 5s. The 13th stands out, featuring an extensive bunker complex and a forced carry over water that punishes any attempt to play aggressively without the carry distance to back it up. Meanwhile, the 8th, a short dogleg-right par 4, requires a precise approach over water where the margin for error is minimal. The greens are large, heavily contoured, and maintained at speeds that make lag putting a skill in itself.

The practice round is for Saturday, May 23, at 2 p.m. shotgun, with practice facilities opening at noon. Players must carry their own bags or use a pushcart. Soliciting members for tee times is not permitted, and violations carry penalties ranging from forfeiture of the practice round to a two-stroke penalty or disqualification.

More about the event

What sets the Nelly Invitational apart from most AJGA events is that the winner receives direct entry into the Chevron Championship, the LPGA Tour’s first major of the season. The 2026 champion earns a spot in the 2027 edition. Liu’s experience at the Chevron after winning the event is the best example of what this pathway allows: going from a junior invitational to teeing it up with the world’s best professionals at a major as one of eight amateurs Chevron helped enter that field.

Korda won the 2024 Chevron Championship for her second career major, which gives the exemption a tangible sense of destination rather than just prestige on paper.

Chevron boarded as the presenting sponsor in 2025 on a three-year commitment. Alongside the sponsorship came the highest travel stipends in AJGA history for a stroke-play event: $2,000 for players traveling from within the U.S. and $2,500 for those coming from outside it. The tournament fee is $295, and housing is available at the Hampton Inn and Suites Sarasota/Lakewood Ranch at a negotiated rate of $149 per night. When the partnership was announced, Korda framed it around removing barriers and building on the first year’s success. The stipends and the major exemption together make that more than a talking point.