Chevron Championship 2026 Betting Tips: Can Hannah stay Green for second major?

After Rory McIlroy lit up Augusta to launch the men’s major season, it’s now time for the women to step into the spotlight in their quest for major glory.

There’s no let up in the schedule over the next three months, as the players head to the glorious Riviera Country Club for the U.S. Women’s Open (4^th – 7^th June), Hazeltine National Golf Club for the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship (25^th – 28^th June), the Evian Resort for the Evian Championship (9^th – 12^th July), and Royal Lytham & St Annes for the Women’s Open (30^th July – 2^nd August).

However, this hectic and potentially career-defining period of the season begins in Texas, where the Chevron Championship will take place at its new home of Memorial Park Golf Course this week.

Our LPGA golf expert Jamie Worsley is back with his usual long-read preview for the tournament. Check out his Chevron Championship 2026 Betting Tips below, where he has picked out five players, including one that's bang in form right now and who Jamie tipped up successfully last week...

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You can bet on the tournament and check out the latest Chevron Championship 2026 Odds over on betfred.com

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

Debuting in 1972 as a regular LPGA event, the Chevron Championship was upgraded to a major championship in 1983. The original and long-term host was the Dinah Shore Course at Mission Hills Country Club, where it stayed until 2023 before moving to Texas and the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at Carlton Woods.

Although it remains in the state this year, it has been switched to Memorial Park Golf Course, which has hosted the Houston Open on the PGA Tour since 2020.

Amy Alcott won the first major edition of this event in 1983, and following further successes in 1988 and 1991, she set the early standard. Her tally of three wins has since been equalled by two players: Betsy King (1987, 1990, 1997) and Annika Sorenstam (2001, 2002, 2005).

In addition, four have lifted this trophy on two occasions: Juli Inkster (1984, 1989), Dottie Pepper (1992, 1999), Karrie Webb (2000, 2006) and Brittany Lincicome (2009, 2015).

Last five winners:

• 2025 (Carlton Woods – Nicklaus Signature Course)

Winner: Mao Saigo (-7, playoff)

Runners-up: Ariya Jutanugarn, Hyo Joo Kim, Ruoning Yin, Lindy Duncan (-7)

• 2024 (Carlton Woods – Nicklaus Signature Course)

Winner: Nelly Korda (-13)

Runner-up: Maja Stark (-11)

• 2023 (Carlton Woods – Nicklaus Signature Course)

Winner: Lilia Vu (-10, playoff)

Runner-up: Angel Yin (-10)

• 2022 (Mission Hills – Dinah Shore Course)

Winner: Jennifer Kupcho (-14)

Runner-up: Jessica Korda (-12)

• 2021 (Mission Hills – Dinah Shore Course)

Winner: Patty Tavatanakit (-18)

Runner-up: Lydia Ko (-16)

An exciting and closely fought contest in 2025 resulted in a five-woman playoff for the title at Carlton Woods. With Lindy Duncan bogeying the closing par 5, and Hyo Joo Kim, Ariya Jutanugarn and Ruoning Yin all settling for par, a birdie was enough for Japanese star Mao Saigo to claim her first major title.

THE COURSE

Memorial Park Golf Course

• Original architect / Year opened: John Bredemus / 1936
• Latest renovation: Tom Doak completed an extensive renovation of the venue in 2019
• Previous tournaments: Houston Open (20 times between 1947-2026)
• Par / Yardage: Par 72 / 6,811 yards
• Hole breakdown:
  • 5x par 3s (155-220 yards)
  • 8x par 4s (384-428 yards)
  • 5x par 5s (479-558 yards)
• Course style: A gently-rolling municipal parkland course with an open feel, featuring loosely tree-lined but predominantly exposed holes. It will revert to its usual par 72 setup this week, with the 1^st and 14^th holes acting as par 5s
• Fairways:
  • The bermudagrass fairways are average-to-wide in width and overseeded with ryegrass
  • Many are positioned at an angle to the tee box, making them tricky to hit
  • However, with short rough and limited bunkering (just 24 in total around the entire course), they’re not overly penal should you miss them
• Greens:
  • Large (7,000 sq. ft.), elevated greens are bermudagrass at the base, overseeded with poa trivialis
  • Predominantly crowned, these moderately undulating surfaces are designed to repel balls at their edges
  • With tightly-mown chipping areas surrounding most, the short game will be put under real pressure if inaccurate on approach
• Defences:
  • Wind is often a factor in Texas and there is little to protect players should stronger gusts arrive
  • Green complexes and their surrounds are tough if firm
  • Due to the lack of rough, bunkers, or water (in play on just four holes), punishment is limited elsewhere

Memorial Park Golf Course is a layout familiar to watchers of the PGA Tour, where it has developed a reputation as a bomber’s paradise. Rated among the longest courses the players of the LPGA will have played in recent years, it will be interesting to see if that theme continues this week.

THE WEATHER

Thunderstorms are forecast in the days leading up to the start of the tournament and are set to linger throughout the week. More than 20mm of rain is predicted to fall across Tuesday and Wednesday, softening the course up, and with a steady 12-14mph breeze scheduled each day, this could turn into a slog.

KEY STATS

• SG: Off-the-Tee (SG: OTT) / Driving Distance
• SG: Around-the-Greens (SG: ATG) / Scrambling
• Greens-in-Regulation (GIR)
• Par 5 Scoring

Players will have to show quality throughout the bag this week – this is a major after all – but given it’s a long, rain-softened course that’s well known as a haven for big hitters, quality off the tee should be vital.

The conditions will likely make scoring difficult, placing a premium on finding the putting surfaces. This will in turn put pressure on contenders around the greens, with only the most confident short-game players comfortable chipping from these tight lies.

Lastly, whilst there are no guaranteed birdies on a lengthy collection of par 5s, they still represent some of the best scoring chances on the course.

CORRELATING EVENTS

There are a few avenues we can go down for potential comp venues, but it is previous host of this event from 2023-2025, the Nicklaus Signature Course at Carlton Woods, that appeals most. Stretching out to over 6,900 yards, this gently-undulating course featured wide fairways and large, elevated bermudagrass greens.

The HSBC Women’s World Championship host, Sentosa Golf Club’s Tanjong Course, is another layout worth a look. Measuring just 18-yards shorter than Memorial Park, this undulating parkland has average-width fairways, limited bunkering, and large bermudagrass greens, which are surrounded by short-grass chipping areas.

I’m going to finish with two major tests from 2025: the U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at PGA Frisco. Although not strict comparisons due to the more prominent undulations, we’re again dealing with spacious (and lengthy in Erin Hills’ case) venues, with wide fairways and large, elevated greens surrounded by tightly-mown chipping areas.

THE FIELD

Our first major field of the year includes each of the world’s top-25 and 47 of the top 50. Jeeno Thitikul is still the top-ranked player, closely followed by Nelly Korda (No. 2), Hyo Joo Kim (No.3), Charley Hull (No. 4), and Hannah Green (No. 5), who maintained her hot form at last week’s JM Eagle LA Championship, winning for the fourth time in 2026.

Mao Saigo is the reigning champion and one of 11 former winners in attendance, accompanied by Nelly Korda (2024), Lilia Vu (2023), Jennifer Kupcho (2022), Patty Tavatanakit (2021), Jin Young Ko (2019), Lydia Ko (2016), Brittany Lincicome (2015, 2009), Lexi Thompson (2014), Stacy Lewis (2011), and Yani Tseng (2010).

We’re also joined by the top two players from the Ladies European Tour and JLPGA in 2025: Shannon Tan (LET), Mimi Rhodes (LET), Shuri Sakuma (JLPGA), and Sora Kamiya (JLPGA). Meanwhile, among eight amateur exemptions/invites is each of the top four in the world rankings, headed by American Kiara Romero.

SELECTIONS

Market leaders (1/4 5 places): Nelly Korda 5/1, Jeeno Thitikul 11/1, Hyo Joo Kim 14/1, Haeran Ryu 20/1, Miyu Yamashita 20/1

2.25 pts Hannah Green each-way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 22/1

It’s a case of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ with my opening selection, as I’m sticking with Hannah Green to continue her scintillating play. Her victory last week is all the more impressive considering the putter – usually her biggest asset – didn’t quite fire, and if she’s in the same tee-to-green form, she has an excellent chance of ending a seven-year wait for major title No. 2.

Green began the year in Asia, finishing 7^th at the Honda LPGA Thailand before winning a second HSBC Women’s World Championship title the following week. She then made a successful trip home to Australia, claiming the Women’s Australian Open and Australian WPGA Championship in consecutive starts on the Ladies European Tour.

Whilst she missed the cut upon her return to LPGA action at the Aramco Championship, I was happy to forgive that due to the brutal test that ensued there. She was backed to bounce back last week and did just that, making five birdies on her back nine to get into a playoff on Sunday, before birdying the first extra hole for her fourth win in six appearances.

The Aussie is the best putter on tour but, as mentioned, she was actually underwhelming on the greens in California, instead earning her victory due to a top-five tee-to-green display. Although not as long as she was a few years ago, she’s still by no means short, and as the fourth-ranked player in GIR and an above-average scrambler, her game matches up to this challenge.

Green’s major record since her 2019 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship victory at Hazeltine is sketchy, recording just two further top-10s in 2022. That said, she was 12^th at Erin Hills in last year’s U.S. Women’s Open, and as a two-time winner of the HSBC Women’s World Championship, she’s perfectly placed to cap off her superb form with major victory.

1.75 pts Lydia Ko each-way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 28/1

Whilst she may lack in power, Lydia Ko is always a danger at courses where quality around the greens could separate the field. Her game has looked sharp at the beginning of this year, where she’s improved with the long game compared to 2025 and, with this complemented by a sublime short game, the Hall of Famer represents value to contend in Texas.

Ko has made six appearances this season without missing a cut. She began with finishes of 4^th at the Tournament of Champions and 5^th at the Honda LPGA Thailand, and prior to finishing 11^th at the Aramco Championship on her latest start, she recorded a third top-five when 4^th at the Ford Championship.

The New Zealander was the third-best tee-to-green performer at the Ford Championship but was let down by an unusually poor putting display. She rectified that at the Aramco, showing positives across all areas.

Ranking 7^th in scrambling and 18^th in SG: ATG, her short game is more than a match for Memorial Park. She’s hitting more greens than she did in 2025 and is outperforming her driving numbers from any of the previous four seasons. Having also picked up a little length this season, there is promise to be found right through the bag.

With her latest win on the LPGA coming at the correlating HSBC Women’s World Championship in 2025, it would be foolish to underestimate Ko’s chances and I fully anticipate her being a serious contender in Houston.

1 pt Minami Katsu each-way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 60/1

Three of the last five Chevron Championship winners not only secured their first major in this event, but their first LPGA-sanctioned win, the latest of which was Japan’s Mao Saigo last year. I’m taking compatriot Minami Katsu – a long hitter with a delicate touch around the greens – to follow in her footsteps at Memorial Park.

An eight-time winner in her native country, Katsu hasn’t quite managed to transfer that ability to the LPGA since joining the tour in 2023. However, with six top-10s last year, including runner-up finishes at the Women’s Open and Buick LPGA Shanghai, she looked close to finding her best.

That has again been the case in 2026 after an initially slow start to the campaign. She finished 3^rd at the Ford Championship just three outings ago and responded from a disappointing missed cut at the Aramco Championship to finish 7^th at the JM Eagle LA Championship.

Her driving and short game has engineered those recent top-10s and it’s in these areas that she’s excelled season-long, ranking 15^th in scrambling, 18^th in SG: Putting, 39^th in SG: ATG and 52^nd in SG: OTT. She’s also a handy 41^st in driving distance and is blending that power with greater accuracy, improving from 103^rd in driving accuracy last year to 54^th in 2026.

Katsu has made seven of her last nine major cuts and finished 9^th in this event at Carlton Woods in 2024. She bettered that considerably at last season’s Women’s Open, finishing 2^nd, and with her game trending in the right direction, she can earn a memorable breakthrough this week.

1 pt Patty Tavatanakit each-way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 90/1

I’m going to finish with two former winners of this event, first of whom is 2021 champion Patty Tavatanakit. At her absolute best, this big hitter would be a strong fit for this challenge, and with form picking up in recent starts, that might not be far away.

After finishing down the leaderboard at the Tournament of Champions, Patty showed improvement to finish 12^th at the Saudi Ladies International. She didn’t immediately carry that level of play back over to the LPGA, missing cuts at the Founders Cup and Ford Championship, but she turned her form around when 27^th at the Aramco Championship and stepped that up again last week, finishing 5^th in California.

Her long game has taken a little time to warm up but she drove it well in the Aramco, ranking inside the top 25 in SG: OTT, and kicked in the LA Championship, ranking 8^th in SG: OTT and 15^th in SG: Approach. She currently sits 9^th in scrambling, 32^nd in driving distance, and placing no worse than 36^th in SG: ATG in any of the previous four seasons, her skillset is well suited to this challenge.

Patty never took to the previous course at Carlton Woods, though having finished 3^rd and 8^th at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, I’m confident Memorial Park is a place where she can thrive.

1 pt Jennifer Kupcho each-way (1/5 - 6 places) @ 90/1

Jennifer Kupcho was the successor to Tavatanakit in this event back in 2022, and with her form figures trending attractively in recent starts, she’s taken to claim the title for a second time at a course that should suit her power-packed ball-striking game.

Kupcho did little of note in the first four events of the year, but she has steadily improved since the LPGA returned to the U.S. A missed cut at the Founders Cup was followed by a 42^nd-place finish at the Ford Championship, and she looked even sharper at the Aramco Championship two starts ago, finishing 27^th.

Having rediscovered her form off the tee in those two prior appearances, it was the irons that stood out as she again improved to finish 13^th in last week’s LA Championship, ranking 1^st in GIR and 8^th in SG: Approach.

That was more like it for a player who was 23^rd in GIR last year, and alongside top-15 rankings in driving distance and par 5 scoring, this is a test at which Kupcho can certainly excel.

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