Stephanie Meadow and Leona Maguire get into major season mood in Texas

With April brings the beginning of majors' season in world golf; the Masters signalling the start of this year’s haul, as the top players look to hit peak form for the most coveted prizes in the game.

And while it was the men who kicked things off for 2023 in Augusta as Jon Rahm donned the green jacket in the Butler Cabin, this week it is time for the women to compete for the year’s opener.

All roads lead to Texas, and to The Club at Carlton Woods to be precise, for the Chevron Championship with a purse of over US$5million to play for in the opening major.

The first of five, compared to the traditional four of the men’s game, the Chevron is perhaps the least prestigious of the women’s collective, in terms of purse, at least – the US Women’s Open prize money is almost double – yet a tournament to attract the world’s finest and the perfect barometer to gauge where the main contenders are likely to come from as the season progresses.

Only two years since the current sponsors have taken over the tournament, the first major was previously known as the ANA Inspiration; before that, the Nabisco, and going back to the Women’s Western Open, which was the first major, dating back to 1930, predating the LPGA, which was established in 1950.

The 2022 event was played at the traditional location for the opening major, Mission Hills in California, so it is the first time that the tournament will be played at the Texas location. Jennifer Kupcho was last year’s winner, securing her maiden major, beating Jessica Korda by two shots.

World number one Lydia Ko would appear to be the one to beat this year with the aforementioned Korda’s sister Nelly the current second best player in the world; Jin Young Ko, Minjee Lee and Atthaya Thitikul make up