Malaysian Magic and Fall Finishes: LPGA Takes Center Stage as Tours Enter Final Stretch
In this week’s “Playing Through,” PGA Professional Brendon Elliott examines the storylines as the LPGA Tour commands the spotlight in Malaysia. With the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour taking a week off, all eyes turn to Kuala Lumpur before professional golf’s three major tours enter their frenetic final stretch.
LPGA Tour: Thitikul Seeks Malaysian Redemption at Maybank Championship
The LPGA Tour stays in Asia for the third edition of the Maybank Championship, where 78 of the world’s top-ranked players compete at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club for a $3 million purse. With just three tournaments remaining before the CME Group Tour Championship, this 72-hole, no-cut event comes at a crucial moment.
World No. 1 Hunts Elusive Malaysian Victory
Jeeno Thitikul arrives as the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings No. 1 and the only player with multiple victories this season (Mizuho Americas Open, Buick LPGA Shanghai). Yet Malaysia has proven to be her nemesis. She’s finished runner-up in back-to-back appearances, losing to Celine Boutier in a 2023 playoff and falling one stroke short behind Ruoning Yin last year.
The timing couldn’t be more significant. Thitikul leads the Rolex Player of the Year race with 162 points (39 ahead of Minjee Lee, who’s not in the field), tops the Vare Trophy standings with a 68.95 scoring average, and leads the Aon Risk Reward Challenge. A victory would extend her leads in multiple season-long races and move her within $345,577 of Lee on the Official Money List.
Ruoning Yin defends her title after that memorable bogey-free 65 that edged Thitikul last October. The major champion has played a limited schedule with three top-five finishes in 2025, most recently at the U.S. Women’s Open in May. She faces a formidable field including 18 of the season’s 27 different winners, among them Sei Young Kim (who ended a five-year drought at the BMW Ladies Championship) and recent International Crown champion Hannah Green.
Star-Studded Field and CME Bubble Battle
World No. 4 Lydia Ko returns to Malaysia for the first time since her T11 in 2023, while Brooke Henderson brings consistent form (T6 in 2023, T10 in 2024). Japanese rookie Miyu Yamashita holds third in Player of the Year standings with 114 points and leads the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race by 61 points over Rio Takeda. Her nine top-10 finishes and AIG Women’s Open victory have her positioned to potentially sweep the season’s major rookie honors.
With only three events before the Tour Championship, bubble players are feeling the heat. The top 60 in the Race to the CME Globe after The ANNIKA at Pelican qualify for the season finale. Yan Liu (No. 59) is looking for her first CME appearance, Wei-Ling Hsu (No. 61) is trying to get back for the first time since 2021, and rookies Julia Lopez Ramirez (No. 63) and Saki Baba (No. 65) need strong finishes to secure spots in Naples and a shot at the $4 million winner’s check.
PGA TOUR: Two Tournaments to Determine 100 Futures
While the PGA TOUR is off this week, pressure is building for players fighting to finish inside the top 100 of the FedExCup standings. With the World Wide Technology Championship and Butterfield Bermuda Championship as the final two events, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
The elimination of 25 cards from last year has created a cutthroat environment. Players finishing 101-125 will receive only conditional status, making the bubble more consequential than ever.
David Lipsky sits at No. 100, with Billy Horschel at 101st despite his strong T11 at the Bank of Utah Championship. Horschel, who missed significant time due to hip surgery, is climbing back but faces stiff competition. Joel Dahmen sits at 108th, having dropped from 93rd after missing three cuts during the fall. Harry Higgs has slipped from 112th to 125th and is in real danger of losing his card entirely.
Only five of 35 rookies are projected to earn 2026 cards: Steven Fisk (Sanderson Farms champion), Aldrich Potgieter, William Mouw, Karl Vilips, and Rasmus Højgaard. Four others (Isaiah Salinda, Jesper Svensson, Jackson Suber, and Rickey Castillo) sit within the top 125 but outside the critical top 100, facing conditional status if they can’t produce strong finishes.
Beyond the top-100 battle, players are jockeying for the Aon Next 10 (ranked 51-60), who earn spots in two early-season Signature Events: AT&T Pebble Beach and The Genesis Invitational. Horschel, already exempt for 2026 via a previous victory, can reach Signature Events by climbing into the top 60 or breaking into the top 30 of the Official World Golf Ranking (he’s currently 40th).
DP World Tour: Ten PGA TOUR Cards on the Line
The DP World Tour has reached its postseason, with only the Abu Dhabi Championship and DP World Tour Championship remaining. The top-70 players in the Race to Dubai standings compete in Abu Dhabi, with only 50 advancing to the finale.
Most significantly, the top-10 finishers in the season-long points race, not otherwise exempt, earn dual membership on the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour for 2026. It’s one of professional golf’s most significant opportunities.
Marco Penge holds the top position on the strength of three victories. If he maintains his spot, he’ll earn not just a PGA TOUR card but also a spot in THE PLAYERS Championship. The standings feature a veteran-laden top 10, with seven players age 30 or older positioned to earn TOUR cards: Kristoffer Reitan, Adrien Saddier, John Parry, Alex Noren, Laurie Canter, Haotong Li, Daniel Brown, Keita Nakajima, and Jordan Smith. Martin Couvra sits at No. 11, just outside the cutoff.
Alex Noren presents an interesting case. The Swede sits fifth in the Race to Dubai but is also 117th in the FedExCup. If Noren cracks the PGA TOUR’s top 100 over the final two events, he would retain his TOUR card via those standings, making the No. 11 finisher (currently Couvra) eligible for a TOUR card.
Players are also battling to finish inside the top 115 to secure category 10 status for 2026, which grants entry into almost all DP World Tour events. Masters champion Adam Scott sits right on the bubble at No. 115.
The Old Course: Preparing for 2027 Open Championship
Significant news emerged from St. Andrews this week. The Old Course will undergo an enhancement and restoration project ahead of the 155th Open Championship in 2027, The R&A announced.
Following The 150th Open in 2022, the course underwent comprehensive review. The resulting project, overseen by golf course architects Mackenzie & Ebert, will “refine the strategic challenge for elite players in a small number of areas for future championships while restoring traditional features that have evolved over time.”
The most significant work will occur on the 16th hole, where a historic playing route will be restored to the left of the “Principal’s Nose” and “Deacon Sime” bunkers, with two new bunkers added to introduce risk on the left side. Six holes will be lengthened: the fifth (35 yards), sixth (17 yards), seventh (22 yards), 10th (29 yards), 11th (21 yards), and 16th (10 yards), while the 12th will be shortened slightly. Overall yardage will increase by 132 yards to 7,445 yards.
Additional changes include relocating fairway bunkers on the second hole, adding new bunkers on the sixth and 10th, extending approach bunkers on the ninth, and restoring the “Road Hole Bunker” on the 17th.
“Our approach is grounded in deep respect for the course’s unparalleled history,” said Mark Darbon, chief executive of The R&A. Work begins November 3, giving the course ample time to mature before golf’s greatest stage returns to the Home of Golf in 2027.