Five to the Top: The Story of the 2026 Callaway Race 2 Qualifying
There was no single script to the 2026 Callaway Race 2 Qualifying, just five players who found five different ways to separate themselves from the pack, and by season's end, one race that told a story of both explosive hot streaks and week-in, week-out grit.
No one made it look as effortless as Emma Bunch. Playing in only five events all year, the Danish standout won four of them: the St. Louis Women's Championship, the Children's Hospital of Illinois Championship, the Brand Asset Partners Colorado Championship, and, fittingly, the season-closing Heritage Classic, where she closed with rounds of 67-65-69-72 to finish at 273. Her only hiccup was a T19 at the Texarkana Children's Charity Open, but it barely mattered. Four wins in five starts was more than enough to run away with the points title at 2,190, a number no one else came close to touching.
Behind her, the race turned into a season-long tug of war between two players who chose the harder path: playing every single event. Katie Lu did just that, competing in all 12 tournaments and finding her signature moment at the Coke Dr Pepper Open, where she went wire-to-wire with rounds of 67-63-66 to win at 196. She never let up after that, stacking finishes like a runner-up at Destination Grapevine, a fourth-place showing at the Children's Hospital of Illinois Championship, and another runner-up at the Michigan Women's Open. It was enough to hold off Kate Villegas, who was building nearly as impressive a season of her own, also 12 for 12, with podium finish after podium finish, including runner-up honors at that same Coke Dr Pepper Open and another second-place tie at the Michigan Women's Open, before finally breaking through for her win at the Wisconsin Women's Championship with a 66-70-69 for 205. When the points settled, Lu edged Villegas by just 13 points, 1,645 to 1,632, the tightest margin in the entire Top 5.
If Bunch proved a short schedule could still win the day, Tillie Claggett showed there was room in between. In just seven starts, the Canadian carded two wins, the FCA Women's Championship and the Texarkana Children's Charity Open, where she closed at 276, and added a third-place finish at the St. Louis Women's Championship for good measure. It was the second-most efficient season of anyone in the group, and it was enough to land her at No. 4 with 1,517 points.
Rounding out the five is Maisie Filler, whose season mirrored Lu's and Villegas's in commitment, a full 12 events, and was defined by an early breakthrough at the Taco Bell Natchez Classic, where she won at 206. From there, Filler didn't chase headlines so much as she chased steadiness, stringing together top-20 finish after top-20 finish, including a tie for third at the Brand Asset Partners Colorado Championship, to secure the final spot in the Top 5 with 1,327 points.
Five different seasons. Five different strategies. And now, the same reward: all five players punch their ticket straight to Stage 2 of LPGA Qualifying, bypassing pre-qualifying altogether. Callaway Golf is putting real money behind their next move too, backing each of them through its Career Assistance Pool: $10,000 for Bunch, $5,000 for Lu, $3,000 for Villegas, $2,500 for Claggett, and $2,000 for Filler, should they take the next step toward the LPGA Tour. For these five, a season of grinding it out on the ANNIKA WAPT is about to open the door to the biggest stage in women's golf.
Travis Humphrey
ANNIKA WAPT Media & Communications
