Three golfers were named to TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in Sports list for 2026 on Tuesday.
It’s easy to guess one: Rory McIlroy.
The back-to-back Masters champion and world No. 2 has reached another peak in his career. In the coming weeks, the 37-year-old will look to win his first U.S. Open since 2011 and first Open Championship since 2014. With the Grand Slam under his belt, McIlroy seems to have been released from the weight of expectations put on him during his 11-year major drought, allowing him to play with abandon.
Joining McIlroy on the list are two of the biggest names on the women’s side right now: Nelly Korda and Jeeno Thitikul.
Both Korda and Thitikul have held the No. 1 spot this year, although Korda usurped Thitikul for the title with her Chevron win in April and, with it, the lion’s share of the headlines thanks to the exceptional run she is currently on.
In eight starts on the LPGA Tour this season, the 27-year-old Korda has finished in the top two seven times, including four wins. Her lone finish lower than that? She tied for eighth at the Kroger Queen City Championship in May. Korda has won the first two majors of the season — the Chevron in April and the U.S. Women’s Open on Sunday — bringing her to a grand total of four major titles.
The 23-year-old Thitikul has won two titles on the LPGA circuit this season: the Honda LPGA Thailand in her home country and the Mizuho Americas Open. The current world No. 2 is still on the hunt for her first major title. So far this season, her efforts have resulted in a missed cut at the Chevron and a T-28 at the U.S. Women’s Open.
If you’re wondering why men’s world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is missing from the TIME list, that’s because he was named to the overarching 100 Most Influential People of 2026 list back in April.