MonthlyJoyride

Austin Bautista was a three-time winner in 2025, picking up wins on the Big Easy Tour, the PGA Tour of Australasia (where he also had a win in 2023), and the Sunshine Tour. His recent form coming in here makes great reading as well, with finishes of T23, 3rd and T3 in his last three events played. The back-to-back third-placed finishes are even more impressive as they came in very differing setups and conditions, with his totals being 283 and 269 strokes, showing his game can contend in more ways than one.

Haydn Porteous has 4 career wins to his name spanning the Sunshine Tour, Challenge Tour and the DP World Tour. Not many in this field can match that winning pedigree. He comes in in hot form, having nearly grabbed the 5th win of his career, just missing out on forcing a playoff by 1 stroke last time out at the Cell C Challenge with consistent, good rounds of 64, 64, 68 and 70. These results show very encouraging signs that a return to the winners' enclosure may not be far away.

Karabo Mokoena is a dangerous sleeper here, deep in the field. He is piecing together a really solid base level to his game, which can provide the platform for steady improvement. He has made 5 of his last 6 cuts, and his recent form and results show steady progression with a T26 backed up by a T23 and that further backed up by a T17 finish last time out, where he shot 3 of his 4 rounds in the 60s. The win is likely a stretch here, but the jump to a top-5 spot is well within reach, and getting 125/1 for him to do so would be the biggest winner of the year most years for most people.

Kieron van Wyk has finished T8 and 3rd in his last three events, with a forgivable missed cut in between. His 3rd-place finish last week showed great quality and determination to battle through tougher days and keep a card relatively clean. He also showed his ability to go low when the lights are green, with his third-round 62 being the low round of the whole week by a 2-stroke margin.

Alistair Docherty is now a three-time runner-up finisher on the Korn Ferry Tour as he still goes in search of his maiden title at this level. He was 2nd last week and nearly got it done with a great final round of 66, just missing out by one stroke to force a playoff. That makes finishes of T2 and T3 inside his last four outings, which shows the ceiling of his game is a match for anyone at this level and possibly beyond in the not-too-distant future.

Fresh from a T18 finish at the American Express on the PGA Tour under the bright lights, where rounds of 67, 60, and 68 had the scriptwriters dreaming before a final-round 74 brought reality back into play, Blades Brown only emerged from the event with his reputation firmly enhanced. Here, away from the spotlight, I think he can thrive and write a new chapter in what looks set to be a quick ascension up the ranks of elite-level golf.

Dylan Menante opened his 2026 campaign well with four good and solid rounds of 64, 65, 68, and 69, which was good for a T6 finish. He did miss the cut last time out but did so on the number after a good recovery round of 69, which nearly made up for his poor opening round of 75. Ending the week with a good round, even if it is ultimately a missed cut, is a lot better than opening with a 65 and then missing the cut with a poor second round. It does give us 5 of his last 6 rounds in the 60s, so plenty to feel good about coming into this week.

Once ranked 71st in the world and a previous runner-up at PGA Tour level in a climate similar to the Sony Open in Hawaii, that is not too dissimilar to the task faced this week. Hayden Buckley looks a standout talent to play in this field. He opened steadily but not spectacularly with a T44 finish in the first event of the season-opening double-header in the Bahamas and looked so much better after getting four rounds under his belt next time up with a T13 finish. More progression is the hope and expectation here this week, and not much is needed for him to earn himself a chance come Sunday.

Nick Gabrelcik finished T2 here last year, and the 23-year-old out of the University of North Florida can go one better this week. He showed good form the last couple of outings with finishes of T39 and T23 to open the season. They were both with a relatively cold putter, which, if he can find the same comfort level as he did here last year, could be a recipe for success.

Lilia Vu has 5 career wins and is steadily showing signs of getting her game back to the level it once was. She has made 4 of her last 5 individual cuts, with the highlight being a 3rd place finish at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. Her game looked in good shape, and she also looked in good spirits at the Grant Thornton Invitational, where she partnered with Tony Finau, who is on a similar path on the men's side of the game. She is a big price for a place here, and if she can get into contention we know the experience of winning never fades.

Somi Lee had an incredibly consistent 2925, which was just her second year on the tour. She played 27 events, made 22 cuts, had 8 top-10 finishes, and claimed her first win at LPGA level at the Dow Championship. There she showed her ability to go low and then some with rounds of 67, 63, 68, and 62 for a -20 total. She finished 2025 well ??" only once finishing worse than T10 in her last handful of events she completed (had 1 withdrawal) with a scoring average of 65.1 over her last 20 rounds on tour coming into this event.

The winner of the LOTTE Championship in October, Youmin Hwang, begins her rookie year as a tour card holder already a winner and has the game that will strike fear into opponents week in and week out. She not only showed her class in terms of talent in that win but also in grit, determination, and courage beyond her years. She started great with rounds of 67 and 62, then had a nervy and difficult third round of 75 but rebounded superbly with a final round 67 to earn a one-stroke win.