Australia’s influence on the LPGA Tour will reach record numbers this week when Queenslander Cassie Porter makes her debut at the Founders Cup in Florida.

Porter’s rookie campaign comes after two years on the Epson Tour highlighted by a breakthrough win last June at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship.

That provided the foundation to finish 10th on the season-long points list and earn a 2025 LPGA Tour card, taking the total number of Australians on the premier women’s tour this year to nine.

The previous record Aussie representation was eight (2008, 2009 and 2022) and Porter believes being surrounded by so many familiar faces will aid in her elevation to the LPGA Tour.

“I know it’s small, but hearing the accent is so big for me,” said the 22-year-old.

“You’re all kind of forced to be mates because you’re all Australian and we all kind of grew up together.

“Gracie (Kim), Steph (Kyriacou) and I, we all played a lot together growing up. They’ve been out there for a couple of years now, so we haven’t had a whole bunch of time to reconnect, but I’m excited for that.

“They’re all great human beings and we’re so lucky to have such a great Aussie community out there. All our physios are Aussie. A lot of the caddies are Aussie or from New Zealand.

“I’m just really excited to have that little community.”

As she settles into her new “community”, Porter was also welcomed into a new one in Tuesday’s practice round where she was joined by 11-time LPGA winner Lexi Thompson.

“Being on the practice green and the range with all the girls I watched play on TV, it's really surreal,” Porter added.

“I was walking down the fairway yesterday, it was a Monday, and it's really hard to believe.

“We've worked for this for most of our lives and to be here is pretty cool.”

With Grace Kim continuing her pre-season preparation back in Sydney and Sarah Kemp on the comeback trail after breaking her leg last year, seven Aussies are in action this week, including Karis Davidson who is playing her first LPGA Tour event since June last year. The other exempt players in 2025 are Hannah Green, Minjee Lee, Gabriela Ruffels and Hira Naveed.

West Australian Maddison Hinson-Tolchard makes her first appearance as a member of the Ladies European Tour at the Lalla Meryem Cup as seven Aussies tee it up on the PGA TOUR Champions Trophy Hassan II, also being played in Morocco.

Round 1 tee times AEDT

LPGA Tour
Founders Cup presented by US Virgin Islands
Bradenton Country Club, Bradenton, Florida
11:26pm*         Hira Naveed
12:21am          Minjee Lee
12:21am*         Stephanie Kyriacou
12:32am*         Fiona Xu (NZ)
3:44am            Karis Davidson
4:28am            Hannah Green
4:28am*           Lydia Ko (NZ)
4:39am            Gabriela Ruffels
5:01am*           Cassie Porter

Recent champion: Rose Zhang
Past Aussie winners: Karrie Webb (2011, 2014), Minjee Lee (2022)
Prize money: $US2m
TV times: Live 3am-6am Friday on Fox Sports 507; Live 3am-6am Saturday; Live 6am-9am Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 505 and Kayo.

Ladies European Tour
Lalla Meryem Cup
Royal Golf Dar Es Salam (Blue Cse), Morocco
7pm*               Momoka Kobori (NZ)
10:40pm*         Maddison Hinson-Tolchard
11:20pm*         Amelia Garvey (NZ)

Recent champion: Bronte Law
Past Aussie winners: Karen Lunn (2012)
Prize money: €450,000