Nelly Korda and defending champ Lottie Woad headline a stacked Women’s Scottish Open field chasing $2 million and crucial links momentum in Scotland this week.
The 2026 Women’s Scottish Open field has the feel of a major championship without the official label. World No. 1 Nelly Korda, defending champion Lottie Woad and seven of the top 10 players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings are headed to Dundonald Links for a $2 million links-golf showdown.
For 144 players, this isn’t merely another stop on the schedule.
It’s a trophy chase, a major tune-up and a potentially punishing introduction to the unpredictable golf Scotland can produce.
Wind, awkward bounces and deep bunkers can turn a comfortable round into an emergency before a player reaches the back nine.
Korda arrives as the obvious target.
The American has already collected four LPGA Tour victories this season, including wins at The Chevron Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open.
Her ability to overpower courses while avoiding the damaging mistakes that destroy scorecards has kept her firmly atop the world rankings.
Dundonald presents a different challenge. Distance still matters, but controlling trajectory and adjusting to changing conditions can be more valuable than launching another towering drive.
Woad already knows how to solve that puzzle.
The defending champion returns to North Ayrshire ranked fifth in the world after turning last year’s breakthrough into something much bigger.
She’s added another LPGA victory at the Kroger Queen City Championship and will attempt to become the first back-to-back winner of the event since it became a regular stop for the game’s international elite.
This time, however, nobody will treat her like a surprise.
Woad is now one of the headliners in a field featuring nine of the season’s 12 LPGA winners.
Hannah Green, Hyo Joo Kim, Lauren Coughlin, Miyu Yamashita, Mi Hyang Lee, Yana Wilson and Gina Kim are among the champions attempting to carry their recent success onto links turf.
The world-ranking firepower goes even deeper.
Along with Korda and Woad, the field includes No. 4 Hyo Joo Kim, No. 6 Yamashita, No. 7 Charley Hull, No. 9 Green and No. 10 Sei Young Kim.
Six former Women’s Scottish Open champions are also returning, including Coughlin, Ayaka Furue, Ryann O’Toole, Ariya Jutanugarn and Mi Hyang Lee.
Then come the rookies.
Ten LPGA newcomers are entered, led by Yana Wilson, who won the Dow Championship alongside Gina Kim.
Ladies European Tour winner Helen Briem also joins a promising group featuring Carolina Chacarra, Mimi Rhodes, Chiara Tamburlini and Youmin Hwang.
Scottish fans will have two home hopes to follow in Gemma Dryburgh and Hannah Darling.
Both received sponsor exemptions and will attempt to use local familiarity as an advantage against one of the deepest fields assembled all season.
That depth is what makes this tournament so dangerous.
Korda has the resume. Woad owns the trophy. Hull brings star power, and the list of potential challengers stretches far beyond the obvious names.
The Women’s Scottish Open may be positioned as preparation for the season’s final major, but nobody is traveling to Dundonald simply to rehearse.
There’s $2 million available, a prestigious title at stake and a loaded field ready to make Scotland hurt.
