Mizuho Americas Open 2026 Betting Tips: Five for joy in New Jersey

Nelly Korda continued her relentless dominance with another comfortable victory in Mexico at last week’s Riviera Maya Open, running out a four-shot winner at El Camaleon.

Having begun the season with three victories and three runner-up finishes across her six appearances, the other players will be relieved that Nelly has skipped this week, as we head to Mountain Ridge Country Club in New Jersey for the Mizuho Americas Open.

Our LPGA golf expert Jamie Worsley is back with his usual long-read preview for the tournament. Check out his Mizuho Americas Open 2026 Betting Tips below, where he has picked out five players, ranging from 20/1 to 150/1...

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You can bet on the tournament and check out the latest Mizuho Americas Open 2026 Odds over on betfred.com

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

The Mizuho Americas Open debuted on the LPGA in 2023 and it was one for the history books, as Rose Zhang defeated Jennifer Kupcho in a playoff to become the first player to win on their professional debut since 1951.

Liberty National Golf Club was the stage for that memorable moment, as it was for the following two editions. However, the event relocates to Mountain Ridge Country Club this year.

Tournament winners:

• 2025

Winner: Jeeno Thitikul (-17)

Runner-up: Celine Boutier (-13)

• 2024

Winner: Nelly Korda (-14)

Runner-up: Hannah Green (-13)

• 2023

Winner: Rose Zhang (-9, playoff)

Runner-up: Jennifer Kupcho (-9)

Jeeno Thitikul won her fifth LPGA title in this event in 2025, producing a dominant performance to beat Celine Boutier by four shots. She returns to defend this week.

THE COURSE

Mountain Ridge Country Club

• Original architect / Year opened: Donald Ross / 1931
• Latest renovation: Ron Prichard completed an extensive restoration from 2003-2011; Andrew Green was brought in to maintain/continue this in 2023
• Previous tournaments: Founders Cup (2021) – Jin Young Ko won with a score of -18
• Par / Yardage: Par 72 / 6,735 yards
• Hole breakdown:
  • 4x par 3s (139-197 yards)
  • 10x par 4s (362-425 yards)
  • 4x par 5s (489-520 yards)
• Course style: A classic, dazzling Donald Ross parkland which provides a strategically varied test. Most holes are open but smartly protected, and there are elevation changes throughout, both uphill and downhill
• Fairways:
  • The wide fairways are predominantly doglegged, sharply so in places
  • Well placed bunkers guard the landing areas and there are trees positioned at the angle of many holes
  • Punishing, three-inch-thick rough provides added punishment for inaccuracy
• Greens:
  • These large (7,900 sq. ft.) Donald Ross greens are mostly open-fronted and severely contoured
  • However, they are expected to run at a slow 10.5-11 on the Stimp this week
  • They are surrounded by brutal, tightly-mown run-offs
  • With bunkers often sitting to the front of the back-to-front sloping surfaces, it’s imperative to keep the ball below the hole
• Defences:
  • Water is in-play on six holes
  • Although challenges are significant throughout, it’s these perplexing green complexes and their surrounds that will separate the field

Considered by many to be a well-kept secret in golf rich New Jersey, Mountain Ridge Country Club makes a welcome return to LPGA action.

The par 5s are scoreable here and we’ll also see plenty of birdies on the par-4 3^rd hole, which will play at a drivable 274 yards over the course of the contest. That said, the par 4s are a reasonably long, difficult collection on the whole and with all of the fabulous intricacies this course has to offer, it will provide a fun but fair test this week.

THE WEATHER

Despite starting off bright and sunny, the conditions are forecast to be cool throughout. With the exception of some more blustery winds on Saturday (15mph gusting at up to 30mph), it’s predicted to be calm for the most part, and with just a few drops of rain scheduled over the weekend, the weather shouldn’t cause too much trouble.

KEY STATS

SG: Approach

SG: Putting (poa annua)

Par 5 Scoring

We don’t have any stats to guide us from the 2021 Founders Cup held here, but that doesn’t mean the leaderboard can’t be of use.

Conquering these challenging putting surfaces with precision approach play looks to be absolutely vital and this certainly stacks up when we look at the winner there, Jin Young Ko, who has ranked 9^th, 5^th and 3^rd in SG: Approach in each of the last three seasons.

Proven poa annua putters are of obvious interest and providing players with the best chances to score right through the layout, taking advantage of the par 5s is a necessity.

CORRELATING EVENTS

There’s little comp form to garner from the previous event here but there are a few avenues we can go down this week.

The Donald Ross angle is the most obvious due to the uniqueness of his designs. With that, The ANNIKA at Pelican Golf Club, the Shoprite Classic at Seaview’s Bay Course, and the 2024 Drive On Championship/2025 Founders Cup at Bradenton Country Club are all worth checking out.

Away from Ross courses and I think the Portland Classic at Columbia Edgewater Country Club could also help. It’s another traditional, gently rolling parkland course with wide fairways and poa annua greens.

THE FIELD

In the absence of Nelly Korda, world No. 2 and defending champion Jeeno Thitikul is the top-ranked player in a high-class field that includes 22 of the world’s top 25.

Our inaugural Mizuho Americas Open winner Rose Zhang will tee it up; former No. 5 amateur Amari Avery gets into the field having recently won her first pro title on the Epson Tour; and Michelle Wie West returns for her first LPGA appearance since 2023 on a tournament invite.

SELECTIONS

Market leaders: Jeeno Thitikul 10/1, Hannah Green 12/1, Charley Hull 12/1, Haeran Ryu 18/1, Miyu Yamashita 18/1

2 pts Ruoning Yin each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 20/1

Arriving after a runner-up finish in our first major of the season on her latest start, I’m taking Ruoning Yin to go one better this week. She’s been superb in approach all season and now starting to find form on the greens, she looks primed to win.

Yin began the campaign in solid form, but she took her game to a new level at the Aramco Championship, picking up her first top-10 of the year with a 7^th-place finish. She then missed the cut at the JM Eagle LA Championship next time out, before bouncing back in style when 2^nd to Nelly Korda at the Chevron Championship.

The Chinese star ranked 3^rd in SG: Approach there, which was just a continuation of the quality she’s shown throughout 2026, ranking 6^th overall. Also sitting 6^th in SG: T2G, the putter has been the only area stopping her from contending. She put that right in Houston with a top-25 display on the greens and I’m counting on her keeping it rolling.

Yin didn’t play here back in 2021, but she does have a promising 3^rd-place finish in Portland. Furthermore, having recorded her maiden major success at the nearby – and not dissimilar – Baltusrol at the 2023 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, she should be feeling positive as she returns to New Jersey.

1.5 pts Angel Yin each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 33/1

Despite missing the cut at Mountain Ridge back in 2021, I fancy Angel Yin to improve considerably this week. She’s yet to miss a cut in 2026 and, currently producing some of the best approach play of her career, she returns to this venue as a completely different prospect.

Yin was a little slow to get going this year, but her form came to life when she finished 3^rd at the HSBC Women’s World Championship. She’s picked up three top-20s in four appearances since then, including a 10^th-place finish at the Chevron Championship last time out.

She’s performing well in most areas, though it’s the improvements made with the irons that really catch the eye. Ranking 110^th in SG: Approach last year, the American has risen to 15^th in the standings in 2026, and when this is combined with her typically excellent putting, she’s well equipped to tackle these demanding greens.

Possessing a 3^rd-place finish in Portland, as well as hitting the top 10 at the Donald Ross designed Bradenton Country Club in the 2025 Founders Cup, I’m confident Yin has the game to be among the top contenders.

1 pt Lauren Coughlin each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 60/1

After winning the Aramco Championship just three starts ago, I felt Lauren Coughlin was a big price here. She’s currently thriving in approach and with her comp form strong, this layout should be in her wheelhouse.

Coughlin made an inauspicious start to the season, though she stepped it up massively in Vegas, winning the Aramco Championship by five shots at Shadow Creek. She’s been solid since, following with a 28^th-place finish at the JM Eagle LA Championship, whilst she was 55^th at the Chevron Championship two weeks ago.

Her long game has looked in fine shape, ranking 13^th on tour in SG: T2G. However, it’s with the irons she’s impressed most, ranking 5^th in SG: Approach and 13^th in GIR. Although her putting is inconsistent, she did win her first LPGA title on poa surfaces at the 2024 CPKC Women’s Open.

Coughlin was an encouraging 25^th here in 2021, as she closed out the event with a three-under 68 to end the week on -4. She has two top-10s at the Portland Classic and having also finished 9^th and 12^th at the Shoprite Classic, she has some tidy Ross form to boot.

0.75 pts Maja Stark each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 125/1

2026 has been a slow-burner for Maja Stark but there were signs at the Chevron Championship that this classy major winner is getting up to speed. She’s actually hit the ball well all season and if the short game can catch up, she’ll represent an attractive prospect at this price.

Stark’s 24^th-place finish at the Honda LPGA Thailand on her second start of the year offered promise, though she couldn’t build on that, failing to crack the top 60 in her next three outings. That form was left behind in Houston, as she fired three under-par rounds on her way to finishing 21^st.

A ranking of 9^th in SG: T2G there should come as no surprise, as she ranks a respectable 41^st for the season in this area. It’s her ball striking that has been particularly encouraging within this, ranking 12^th in GIR and inside the top 50 in both SG: OTT and SG: Approach.

Stark doesn’t have the benefit of a prior spin around this track. That said, she has a top-10 in Portland and although not a direct comparison, the wide fairways, large sloping greens and undulations of Erin Hills, where she won last year’s U.S. Women’s Open, should stand her in good stead around this classic setup.

0.75 pts Grace Kim each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 150/1

Following her major breakthrough at last year’s Evian Championship, Grace Kim has been steady in 2026. She’s another player excelling with her irons and, also showcasing some handy form in Portland, this price holds plenty of appeal.

Kim began the year in Asia, finishing 38^th at the Honda LPGA Thailand and 41^st at the HSBC Women’s World Championship. She was then 10^th when making the trip home for the Australian Open and signs have been positive since she returned to the U.S. as she hit the top 30 at both the Aramco Championship and JM Eagle LA Championship.

The Aussie is 26^th on tour from tee-to-green and is particularly shining in approach, ranking 27^th. However, she will need to find some progress on the greens, which caused her to miss the cut at the Chevron Championship on her last appearance.

Kim has yet to experience Mountain Ridge, though with 5^th and 9^th-place finishes in Portland, sitting alongside a top-10 at The ANNIKA in 2025, I suspect she will enjoy the challenge.

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