LPGA Golfers with LA Ties Return to Southern California for the 2026 JM Eagle LA Championship
For the second consecutive year, Los Angeles’ only annual LPGA tournament returns to El Caballero Country Club for the JM Eagle LA Championship. The tournament’s usual host, Wilshire Country Club, is currently undergoing a multi-million-dollar course renovation; therefore, ‘El Cab’ got the nod to host back-to-back JM Eagle LA Championships. As the LPGA returns to Los Angeles to chase a purse totaling close to four million dollars, so do a fair number of golfers with ties to the host city. From UCLA and USC alumni to LA residents and natives, the ‘City of Angels’ is well represented at this year’s JM Eagle LA Championship.
As Patrick Cantlay, another UCLA golf alumnus who had the opportunity to contend for the trophy at the local PGA Tour stop at nearby Riviera Country Club this past February, Lilia Vu, Patty Tavatanakit, Ryann O’Toole, and Alison Lee highlight the former Bruins teeing it up at ‘El Cab’ this week. Vu and Tavatanakit are the highest ranked of the bunch, coming in at 69th and 73rd, respectively, in the Rolex Rankings. Despite their rank and past success, both Vu and Tavatanakit have stumbled out of the gates this season. The two have both logged four starts in 2026, but inconsistent performances and lackluster finishes are not the M.O. of either Vu or Tavatanakit. This season’s JM Eagle LA Championship provides the perfect opportunity for the former Bruins to turn things around at a tournament just 13 miles from their old stomping grounds. “I have a lot of friends in the area still, and just a lot of support,” said Tavatanakit regarding the local crowd during the 2024 rendition of the tournament. Vu, a native of nearby Fountain Valley, also consistently receives support at the JM Eagle LA Championship, specifically at last year’s event. “A lot of friends and family are expected to come up, so I am going to be happy to see them and play in front of them,” said Vu prior to this past season’s competition.
For the other two UCLA women’s golf alumni, this year’s event at El Caballero Country Club is more than just a tournament proximal to their alma mater. In O’Toole’s case, the 39-year-old aims to build off of her back-to-back top-30 finishes to begin 2026. After missing half of the cuts on her schedule last year, O’Toole appears to be in much better form heading into this season’s JM Eagle LA Championship. Like Vu, O’Toole also grew up not too far from ‘El Cab’. The San Clemente native has Southern California in her blood, adding a little extra importance to her local LPGA tour stop. Coming off only three LPGA starts last season because of the birth of her first child, the 2026 JM Eagle LA Championship is Lee's first start of the season. The newly-minted mother was originally going to return in early May at the Mizuho Americas Open, but the Los Angeles native wants to use this week as preparation for the first major of the year: The Chevron Championship. The JM Eagle LA Championship is also near to Lee’s heart. “I am so familiar with Los Angeles, but I also have so much family here and friends here,” Lee stated. “Typically, when I have events here, I usually have a pretty big crowd coming out to watch, which is so nice to have. I got to play at ‘El Cab’ when we were in college at UCLA; we had a tournament there. I feel like I am coming back home.”
Furthermore, some alumni of UCLA’s crosstown rivals, the USC Trojans, are also in the field at the JM Eagle LA Championship. Namely, Allisen Corpuz and Gabriela Ruffels headline the Trojans that will participate in this week’s event. Unlike most of the aforementioned Bruins, Corpuz has posted three strong finishes in five of her total starts so far this year; a T-10 at the Honda LPGA Thailand is the most notable of the three. Corpuz’s fondness for LA is evident, particularly in an interview prior to the 2024 JM Eagle LA Championship. “I love giving restaurant recommendations in the area; Los Angeles in general is just so special,” Corpuz said. “I love just being here and having gone to college here. I just love being in the heart of LA.” The 2023 U.S. Women’s Open champion also comes in as the 64th-best golfer in the world; her current form, stature, and affinity to Los Angeles should serve Corpuz well. Like Corpuz, her former college teammate is also familiar with Los Angeles. Ruffels finished her career as a Trojan in 2021, turning pro before that year’s Gainbridge LPGA. Since earning her LPGA Tour card after the 2023 Epson Tour season, Ruffels has accumulated close to one and a half million dollars in her first two seasons and change as a member of the LPGA Tour. She has also posted five top-10s in that same time period and enters this year’s JM Eagle LA Championship fresh off a T-27 finish at the Aramco Championship at the ever-challenging Shadow Creek Golf Club. Despite being in the early stages of her LPGA career, the 25-year-old Ruffels is battle-tested and should have no problem getting up for the test that El Caballero presents.
In addition to the local college alumni, two-time LPGA Tour champion Rose Zhang, an Arcadia native, rounds out the notable Los Angeles-tied golfers in this year’s JM Eagle LA Championship field. The hometown favorites will surely have familiar faces in the crowd as they chase after the trophy, but they must conquer the subtly tricky golf course and deep field first. Past major winners, top golfers in the Rolex Rankings, and tight fairways present numerous obstacles to this season’s entrants. The JM Eagle LA Championship begins today, with tee times starting at 7:15 a.m. PDT, and concludes on Sunday.
