PATTY BERG Signed LPGA Golf paper Founding Member 1st US OPEN Winner fantastic

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Seller: memorabilia111 ✉️ (808) 100%, Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan, US, Ships to: US & many other countries, Item: 176287868020 PATTY BERG Signed LPGA Golf paper Founding Member 1st US OPEN Winner fantastic. PATTY BERG SIGNED MAJOR TOURNAMENT WINS SHEET OF PAPER.  Patricia Jane Berg was an American professional golfer. She was a founding member and the first president of the LPGA. Her 15 major title wins remains the all-time record for most major wins by a female golfer. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. In winter times she was also a speed skater.

Patricia Jane Berg (February 13, 1918 – September 10, 2006)[1] was an American professional golfer. She was a founding member and the first president of the LPGA.[2][3] Her 15 major title wins remains the all-time record for most major wins by a female golfer. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. In winter times she was also a speed skater.[4] Amateur career Berg was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and expressed an interest in football at an early age. At one point, she played quarterback on a local team that included future Oklahoma Sooners head football coach Bud Wilkinson. At the age of 13, Berg took up golf in 1931 at the suggestion of her parents; by 1934, she began her amateur career and won the Minneapolis City Championship.[3] The following year, Berg claimed a state amateur title.[5] She attended the University of Minnesota where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She came to national attention by reaching the final of the 1935 U.S. Women's Amateur, losing to Glenna Collett-Vare in Vare's final Amateur victory. Berg won the Titleholders in 1937. In 1938, she won the U.S. Women's Amateur at Westmoreland[6] and the Women's Western Amateur. With a victory in the 1938 Titleholders Championship and a spot on the winning Curtis Cup team as well, Berg was selected as the Associated Press Woman Athlete of the Year, the first of three times she earned the honor.[3] In 1939, Berg won her third consecutive Titleholders, although she was unable to compete in the U.S. Women's Amateur due to an operation on her appendix.[7] Professional career After winning 29 amateur titles, she turned professional in 1940.[3] Berg's career had been interrupted by an automobile accident in December 1941; while traveling to a fund-raising event with Helen Dettweiler, a head-on accident shattered Berg's knee. Subsequently, she recovered and volunteered for the United States Marine Corps and was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1942. She served in the Marine Reserves from 1942 to 1945.[8][3] Despite concerns that her golfing career would end, Berg returned to the game in 1943, helped by a locker room fall that broke adhesions which had developed in her leg. Upon her comeback, she won the Women's Western Open.[7] She won the inaugural U.S. Women's Open in 1946. In 1948, she helped establish the forerunner of the LPGA, the Women's Professional Golf Association (WPGA), winning three tournaments that season and in 1949.[7] When the LPGA was officially started in 1950, Berg was one of the 13 founding members and held a leadership position as the association's first president.[3] Berg won a total of 57 events on the LPGA and WPGA circuit, and was runner-up in the 1957 Open at Winged Foot. She was runner-up in the 1956 and 1959 LPGA Championships.[3] In addition, Berg won the 1953, 1957, and 1958 Women's Western Opens, the 1955 and 1957 Titleholders, both considered majors at the time. Her last victory came in 1962. She was voted the Associated Press Woman Athlete of the Year in 1942 and 1955, in addition to her 1938 award. During a four-year stretch from 1953 to 1956, Berg won the Vare Trophy three times for having the lowest scoring average on the LPGA.[5] She was the LPGA Tour's top money winner twice, in 1954 and 1957, and her seven Titleholders wins is an all-time record.[3] Berg won 15 women's major golf championships in her career, including the seven Titleholders victories, seven wins in the Women's Western Open, and the 1946 U.S. Women's Open championship.[7] In 1959, Berg became the first woman to hit a hole-in-one during a USGA competition, which happened at the U.S. Women's Open.[9] In 1963, Berg was voted the recipient of the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. Berg received the 1986 Old Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, GCSAA's highest honor. The LPGA established the Patty Berg Award in 1978. In her later years, Berg teamed-up with PGA Tour player and fellow Fort Myers, Florida resident Nolan Henke to establish the Nolan Henke/Patty Berg Junior Masters to promote the development of young players. Berg was sponsored on the LPGA Tour her entire career by public golf patriarch Joe Jemsek, owner of the famous Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in Lemont, Illinois, site of the PGA Tour's Western Open from 1991 to 2006. Berg represented another of Jemsek's public facilities, St. Andrews Golf & Country Club in West Chicago, Illinois, on the women's circuit for over 60 years. Berg told Chicagoland Golf magazine she taught over 16,000 clinics in her lifetime – many of which were sponsored by Chicago-based Wilson Sporting Goods and were called "The Patty Berg Hit Parade." In that interview, Berg figured she personally indoctrinated to the game of golf over a half-million new players. She was a member of Wilson's Advisory Staff for 66 years, until her death. She announced in December 2004 that she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. She died in Fort Myers from complications of the disease 21 months later at the age of 88. Professional wins (63) LPGA Tour wins (60) 1937 (1) Titleholders Championship (as an amateur) 1938 (1) Titleholders Championship (as an amateur) 1939 (1) Titleholders Championship (as an amateur) 1941 (3) Women's Western Open, North Carolina Open, New York Invitational 1943 (2) Women's Western Open, All American Open 1945 (1) All American Open 1946 (4) Northern California Open, Northern California Medal Tournament, Pebble Beach Open, U.S. Women's Open 1947 (3) Northern California Open, Pebble Beach Open, Northern California Medal Tournament 1948 (3) Titleholders Championship, Women's Western Open, Hardscrabble Open 1949 (3) Tampa Open, Texas PGA Championship, Hardscrabble Open 1950 (3) Eastern Open, Sunset Hills Open, Hardscrabble Women's Invitational 1951 (5) Sandhills Women's Open, Pebble Beach Weathervane, New York Weathervane, 144 Hole Weathervane, Women's Western Open 1952 (3) New Orleans Women's Open, Richmond Open, New York Weathervane 1953 (7) Jacksonville Open, Titleholders Championship, New Orleans Women's Open, Phoenix Weathervane (tied with Louise Suggs), Reno Open, All American Open, World Championship 1954 (3) Triangle Round Robin, World Championship, Ardmore Open 1955 (6) St. Petersburg Open, Titleholders Championship, Women's Western Open, All American Open, World Championship, Clock Open 1956 (2) Dallas Open, Arkansas Open 1957 (5) Havana Open, Titleholders Championship, Women's Western Open, All American Open, World Championship 1958 (2) Women's Western Open, American Women's Open 1960 (1) American Women's Open 1962 (1) Muskogee Civitan Open LPGA majors are shown in bold. Other wins (3) 1944 Pro-Lady Victory National (with Johnny Revolta) 1950 Orlando Two-Ball (with Earl Stewart) 1954 Orlando Two-Ball (with Pete Cooper) Major championships Wins (15) Year Championship Winning score Margin Runner(s)-up 1937 Titleholders Championship +3 (80-87-73=240) 3 strokes United States Dorothy Kirby (a) 1938 Titleholders Championship −5 (78-79-77-77=311) 14 strokes United States Jane Cothran (a) 1939 Titleholders Championship +19 (78-78-83-80=319) 2 strokes United States Dorothy Kirby (a) 1941 Women's Western Open 7 & 6 United States Mrs. Burt Weil 1943 Women's Western Open 1 up United States Dorothy Kirby (a) 1946 U.S. Women's Open 4 & 3 United States Betty Jameson 1948 Titleholders Championship +8 (80-74-78-76=308) 1 stroke United States Peggy Kirk, United States Babe Zaharias 1948 Women's Western Open 37 holes United States Babe Zaharias 1951 Women's Western Open 2 up United States Pat O'Sullivan (a) 1953 Titleholders Championship +6 (72-74-73-75=294) 9 strokes United States Betsy Rawls 1955 Titleholders Championship +3 (76-68-74-73=291) 2 strokes United States Mary Lena Faulk 1955 Women's Western Open E (73-75-71-73=292) 2 strokes Uruguay Fay Crocker, United States Louise Suggs 1957 Titleholders Championship +8 (78-71-78-69=296) 3 strokes United States Anne Quast (a) 1957 Women's Western Open −1 (72-70-75-74=291) 1 stroke United States Wiffi Smith 1958 Women's Western Open +1 (75-72-71-75=293) 4 strokes United States Beverly Hanson Results timeline Tournament 1937 1938 1939 Women's Western Open DNP QF DNP Titleholders Championship 1 1 1 Tournament 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 Women's Western Open DNP 1 DNP 1 QF DNP 2 SF 1 SF Titleholders Championship ? ? ? NT NT NT ? 4 1 T2 U.S. Women's Open NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF 1 9 T4 T4 Tournament 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 Women's Western Open SF 1 QF 2 SF 1 T4 1 1 T2 Titleholders Championship T8 T3 T3 1 2 1 2 1 3 T8 U.S. Women's Open 5 8 9 3 12 5 T3 2 T9 6 LPGA Championship NYF NYF NYF NYF NYF ? 2 7 12 2 Tournament 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Women's Western Open T13 T15 T3 DNP 14 9 WD T11 NT NT Titleholders Championship T4 T2 4 22 T15 23 DNP NT NT NT U.S. Women's Open 17 18 T13 T29 10 T22 T18 39 T29 CUT LPGA Championship 4 20 T13 DNP 12 T11 DNP T22 T22 T17 Tournament 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 Titleholders Championship NT NT T36 NT NT NT NT NT NT NT U.S. Women's Open 31 DNP DNP CUT DNP CUT CUT CUT CUT CUT LPGA Championship T17 DNP CUT T51 CUT CUT CUT DNP CUT DNP NYF = Tournament not yet founded NT = No tournament DNP = Did not play CUT = missed the half-way cut R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play "T" indicates a tie for a place Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10 Summary Starts – 97 1 Wins – 15 2nd-place finishes – 10 3rd-place finishes – 10 Top 3 finishes – 35 Top 5 finishes – 47 Top 10 finishes – 57 Top 25 finishes – 78 Missed cuts – 12 Most consecutive cuts made – 79 Longest streak of top-10s – 32 1 Does not include those with "?" Team appearances Amateur Curtis Cup (representing the United States): 1936 (tie, Cup retained), 1938 (winners) FORT MYERS, Florida -- Patty Berg, the golf pioneer who won an LPGA Tour-record 15 major titles and was one of the 13 founding members of the tour in 1950, died Sunday. She was 88. She died at Hope Hospice in Fort Myers of complications from Alzheimer's disease, the LPGA Tour said. Berg was the LPGA Tour's first president from 1950-52 and was the tour's money leader in 1954, '55 and '57. She ended her career with 60 victories and is a member of the LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Fame. "Patty was a wonderfully talented woman who was dedicated to golf, to growing the game and to making the sport fun for golfers of all ages," LPGA Tour commissioner Carolyn Bivens said. "She was a pioneer, an athlete, a mentor, a friend and an entertainer. She had a sense of humor that sparked a smile in all who met her." Berg won the 1938 U.S. Women's Amateur and swept the 1937-39 Titleholders as an amateur for her first three major victories. After turning pro, she won the 1946 U.S. Women's Open, four more Titleholders and was a seven-time winner of the Women's Western Open. "As a founder of the LPGA, Patty took the LPGA to new heights, and it was the work, passion and dedication that she and her fellow co-founders exhibited that has allowed the LPGA to grow and prosper for so many years," Bivens said. "I, along with the entire LPGA family, mourn Patty's passing, but we will forever celebrate her legacy." Berg was The Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in 1938, '43 and '55. She was a top all-around athlete before turning to golf in her teens. She even quarterbacked a sandlot American football squad called the "50th Street Tigers" that featured former Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson, a neighbor and longtime friend. Berg served three years in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. The LPGA created the Patty Berg Award in 1978 for outstanding contributions to women's golf, an award she won in 1990. The Minnesota native is also a member of the All-American Collegiate Hall of Fame and the University of Minnesota Women's Athletic Department Hall of Fame. Berg and the other LPGA founders were honored in 2000 with the Commissioner's Award. In 2002, she was the honorary chair for the 2002 Solheim Cup at her home course, Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minnesota. The 13 Founders Alice Bauer Birthdate: 1927, South Dakota Rookie Year: 1950 Career Earnings: $26,156 At the age of 22, Alice Bauer became one of 13 founders of the LPGA Tour in 1950. As one of the “moms on tour” at the time, Bauer was one of the first to travel to golf tournaments with her two children. Being a mother was her first priority; therefore she only played on the Tour occasionally. She had an outstanding amateur career, voted South Dakota’s Amateur Women of the Year when she was 14 years old and won the South Dakota Amateur title. She was accompanied by her sister Marlene Bauer Hagge as LPGA founding members and together they were widely known in golf circles because of their history as prodigy performers in the game. Bauer never won on the LPGA Tour, but she forced a playoff against Marilynn Smith in the 1955 Heart of America tournament. In 1956, she finished 14th on the LPGA’s season money list. Patty Berg Birthdate: 1918, Minnesota Turned pro: 1940 LPGA Victories: 60 Career Earnings: $190,760 Nicknamed “Dynamite” in the early ages of the LPGA Tour, Patty Berg was one of the most dominant players of the 13 founders. To this day, she is credited with more win in women’s majors than any other golfer, topping off at 15 championship titles. Berg’s golf career began well before the formation of the Tour, eight majors before 1950. She was a major force on the course during the first decade of the LPGA Tour, winning majors, money titles and scoring titles. Because of her stellar play during her career, she was in the first class inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.  All her life, Berg remained an ambassador for the game she loved, playing recreationally with friends well through her 70s and conducting more than 10,000 golf clinics in her lifetime. The LPGA annually awards the Patty Berg Award, established in 1978, to "the lady golfer who has made the greatest contribution to women's golf during the year." Bettye Danoff Birthdate:  1923, Grand Prairie, Texas Rookie Year: 1950 Known to the founding members of the LPGA Tour as “Mighty Mite,” the short statured Bettye Danoff joined the Tour with an impressive golf résumé. She began playing golf at an early age after her family opened their own driving range and nine-hole golf course. She won four straight Dallas Women’s Golf Association Championships from 1945-48, the women's division of the Texas PGA in 1945 and 1946 and the Texas Women's Amateur in 1947 and 1948.  Although she was winless on the LPGA Tour, she still played a huge role in its formation. She earned her the LPGA Commissioners Award in 2000, which honors a person or organization who has contributed uniquely to the LPGA and its members, who has furthered the cause of women’s golf, and whose character and standards are of the highest order. Helen Dettweiler Birthdate: 1914, Washington D.C. Rookie year: 1950 Growing up in a family of golfers in the Washington, D.C., area, Helen Dettweiler graduated from Trinity College with degrees in history and English and headed to Florida to launch a golf career with money her grandmother gave her as a graduation present. Dettweiler won the first tournament she entered, capturing the 1939 Women’s Western Open as an amateur. Later that year, she joined Wilson Sporting Goods as a staff professional, along with fellow future LPGA Tour co-founders, Opal Hill and Helen Hicks. Patty Berg would follow in 1940. The D.C. native was instrumental in getting the Women’s Professional Golf Association off the ground in 1947, later serving as the vice president of the LPGA when it was formed in 1950. Dettweiler was one of 13 players who co-founded the new association. While she was there for the LPGA’s beginning, Dettweiler left the tour in the early years to teach golf, returning to California to become the head professional at Indian Palms. She passed away in 1990. Marlene Bauer Hagge Birthdate: 1934, California Rookie Year: 1950 LPGA Victories: 23 Career Earnings: $481,032 Marlene Hagge and sister Alice Bauer got an early start in golf at age 3, thanks to golf pro father, Dave Bauer. In fact, their father billed them as “The Bauer Sisters” in golf exhibitions around the country in the mid-1940s. By age 10, Hagge had won California’s Long Beach City Boys Junior Championship, and by age 13, she had captured crowns at the Western and National Junior Championships, the Los Angeles Women’s City Championship, the Palm Springs Women’s Championship and the Northern California Open. Just before her 16th birthday, she joined the LPGA Tour in 1950 to launch her professional career. From 1952-1972, Bauer recorded 26 victories and was voted into the LPGA and World Golf Halls of Fame in 2002, through the Veteran’s Category ballot. One of the 13 founding members of the LPGA, Bauer will long be recognized for her longevity, playing in each of the LPGA Tour’s first five decades. The petite blonde will also be remembered as the player who brought a splash of California glamour to the LPGA Tour. Helen Hicks Birthdate: 1911, New York LPGA Victories: 2 Helen Hicks launched her golf career with several top amateur wins, including a victory over legendary American amateur Glenna Collett Vare at the 1929 Women’s Canadian Open. She recorded two other key wins at the 1931 Women’s Eastern Championship and at the 1931 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, where, once again, she defeated Vare in the finals. Known for her length and strength, as well as her non-classic reported “baseball swing,” Hicks was also the first woman to have signature Wilson golf clubs bearing her name. The company actually gave her the title of “business woman golfer,” and sent her out on the road to engage customers with the power of her game and her big personality. Hicks then helped train future LPGA co-founders and Wilson staff members Opal Hill and Patty Berg how to conduct golf clinics. Opal Hill Birthdate: 1892, Missouri Rookie Year: 1950 LPGA Victories: 2 Opal Hill began playing golf at age 31, when physicians urged her to add gentle exercise as she battled a long-time kidney ailment. At one point, she was told she only had three years to live. She not only conquered her illness, but grew to love the game, having won the Kansas City Championship nine times, captured three Doherty Cup titles, was the 1928 North and South Women’s Amateur champion and was named to four U.S. Curtis Cup teams. She was sometimes called “the matriarch of women’s golf” because she entered the game late and was older than many of her fellow competitors. She was the first LPGA Teaching and Club Professional (T&CP) honorary member from the Midwestern Section. Hill also was the first recipient of the National Golf Foundation’s Joe Graffis Award and was a member of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. Betty Jameson Birthdate: 1919, Florida Rookie Year: 1950 LPGA Victories: 12 LPGA Earnings: $91,740 An Oklahoma native, Betty Jameson established her reputation as a top American amateur long before she became one of the LPGA’s 13 founders. The lanky player, who possessed what her peers called “the perfect golf grip” and a “natural beauty,” won 14 top amateur titles, including the 1939 and 1940 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship. In 1942, she became the first player to win the Western Women’s Open and the Western Women’s Amateur in the same year. Her amateur career was launched when she won the 1932 Texas Publinx Title at age 13. Jameson turned pro in 1945, and won seven times prior to the start of the LPGA. Two years after her professional debut, she won the 1947 U.S. Women’s Open with a 295 total. That score marked the first time a woman had scored lower than 300 for a 72-hole tournament. She went on to win 13 LPGA tournaments, including three major championships, and was one of the LPGA’s first six Hall of Fame inductees. Jameson’s greatest legacy is the Vare Trophy, which she donated in 1952, in the name of her idol, American amateur star, Glenna Collett Vare. It was the idea of this freethinking player to institute the concept of the Vare Trophy, which continues to be awarded to the LPGA Tour player with the lowest scoring average each year. Sally Sessions Birthdate: 1919, Florida Rookie Year: 1947 A native of North Muskegon, Mich., LPGA co-founder Sally Sessions was both a gifted athlete in tennis and golf. She won the Michigan State Tennis Championship at age 16, and won both the City of Muskegon’s tennis and golf championships on the same day in 1942. But eventually, Sessions directed her focus solely toward golf. She won the 1946 Michigan Women’s State Championship, and in 1947, became the first woman to break par-72 at Pinehurst Country Club in Pinehurst, N.C., with a score of 69. That same year and playing as an amateur, she finished as runner-up to Betty Jameson at the 1947 U.S. Women’s Open Championship, also adding a win at the 1947 Mexican Women’s Open. A year later, Sessions turned pro, tying for 10th at the 1948 U.S. Women’s Open. She recorded a fifth-place finish at the 1949 Tam O’Shanter All-American tournament. Just as many other women professionals of her time, she became a staff professional for Wilson Sporting Goods and performed clinics and exhibitions around the country as a member of the Wilson staff. She never won on the LPGA Tour during her brief golf career, but Sessions served as the association’s first secretary. Marilynn Smith Birthdate: 1929, Florida Rookie Year: 1950 LPGA Victories: 18 LPGA Earnings: $296,258 LPGA co-founder Marilynn Smith was known as “Miss Personality” and the “LPGA’s Goodwill Ambassador” on the LPGA Tour in its early years. And it was Smith, wearing pearls and heels, who was often pushed out to ad-lib the LPGA’s earliest public relations efforts in front of fans, sponsors and the media. Accompanied by her fellow pros, she would often hit balls from home plate to the outfield and invite fans at Major League Baseball parks to come watch the local LPGA tournament. Once, she even attended a boxing match with the goal of reminding fans between rounds to attend that week’s LPGA event. Unfortunately, the grueling nature of the sport made Smith swoon and one of her fellow pros had to jump into the blood-splattered ring to invite boxing fans to come watch women’s golf. But while Smith was a true girl-next-door native of Topeka who called herself “just an ordinary gal from the Kansas prairie who has lived an extraordinary life,” she was a solid competitor on the LPGA Tour from 1957 to 1976, playing a more limited schedule until 1985. During that time, Smith won 21 tournaments, including two major championships at the 1963 and 1964 Titleholders Championships. The Kansan’s first LPGA win came at the 1954 Fort Wayne Open in Indiana, with her final professional title notched at the 1972 Pabst Ladies Classic. She recorded nine top-10 finishes on the LPGA’s money list from 1961-1972. Shirley Spork Rookie Year: 1946 Shirley Spork was always a player with a keen eye for golf swing technique, leading her to become one of six inaugural members of the LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals’ (T&CP) Hall of Fame. Spork graduated from Eastern Michigan University, where she won the first-ever National Collegiate Championship in 1947, which was the equivalent of today’s NCAA Championship. A teacher at heart, she was the Western educational director for the National Golf Foundation (NGF) for seven years and taught golf in the early 1950s at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. Typical at that time, she spent the summer months competing on the LPGA Tour and the winter months teaching golf in the California desert. In 1959, Spork helped found the LPGA’s teaching division along with Marilynn Smith, Betty Hicks and Barbara Rotvig. The Michigan native was twice named LPGA National Teacher of the Year (1959 and 1984). She also served as the LPGA’s T&CP chairperson for eight years. But Spork could also hit the shots, finishing among the top 10 on the LPGA’s money list in 1950, placing second in the 1962 LPGA Championship and fourth in the Carling Eastern Open that year. Widely considered the LPGA’s resident “trick-shot artist,” Spork would please crowds with golf shots on command and entertain fans in clinics wherever the tour traveled. Louise Suggs Birthdate: 1923, Florida Rookie Year: 1950 LPGA Victories: 58 LPGA Earnings: $190,475 LPGA co-founder Louise Suggs always let her clubs do the talking. Nicknamed “The Little Hogan” by media in the early years, Suggs brought with her to the newly formed professional golf association a sparkling amateur career. The Georgia native was no stranger to golf fans, as she had wowed media and galleries throughout the 1940s with amateur wins that included two Georgia State Amateur Championships, wins at the 1941 and 1947 Southern Amateur Championship, three wins at the North and South Women’s Amateur Championship, the 1947 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, the 1948 Women’s British Amateur Championship, and a member of the 1948 U.S. Curtis Cup team. Suggs is credited with 58 LPGA career wins and 11 major championships. In 1957, she won the Vare Trophy (for low scoring average) and also became the LPGA’s first player to complete the career grand slam, which included the U.S. Women’s Open, the LPGA Championship, the Western Open and the Titleholders Championship, at that time. Suggs became one of the six inaugural inductees of the LPGA Hall of Fame, as well as a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, and the LPGA’s Teaching and Club Professionals’ Hall of Fame. Over the years, she was honored with numerous awards, including the Patty Berg Award in 2000, the 2007 Bob Jones Award for “distinguished sportsmanship in golf,” and the William D. Richardson Award in 2008, which recognizes “individuals who have consistently made an outstanding contribution to golf.” Babe Zaharias Birthdate: 1911, Texas Rookie Year: 1950 LPGA Victories: 36 LPGA Earnings: $66,237 Mildred Ella Didriksen was the born in 1911 as the child of Norwegian immigrants who settled in Port Arthur, Texas. But this LPGA co-founder and LPGA and World Golf Hall of Fame member became better known as “The Babe” during her lifetime in sports. Moreover, she was the centerpiece for the LPGA Tour in its early days. Zaharias was an Olympian who was often called the “greatest female athlete in history.” She starred in track and field, winning gold medals and setting or tying world records in the 80-meter hurdles and the javelin, and winning the silver medal in the high jump at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. She also was an All-American basketball player, earned her nickname after hitting five home runs in a single baseball game in the style of home run king Babe Ruth, and was said to have been equally adept in tennis, bowling, billiards, diving and roller skating. But it was golf, and specifically, the LPGA, where Zaharias made her final mark. She began focusing on golf in 1934, and won her second tournament a year later at the 1935 Texas Women’s Invitational. Two weeks later, the USGA ruled that she was a professional athlete because of her earnings in baseball and basketball, but she regained her amateur status in 1943, and won 17 amateur events from 1946-47, including the 1946 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and the 1947 Women’s British Amateur Championship. She turned professional in August 1947. Her swaggering style and athleticism gave her 41 professional wins, with 10 victories prior to the LPGA’s start in 1950, with 36 professional titles on the LPGA Tour, including 10 major championships. She still holds the LPGA’s record as the player who reached 10 wins, 20 wins and 30 wins the fastest. The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite women professional golfers from around the world. Organization and history Other "LPGAs" exist in other countries, each with a geographical designation in its name, but the U.S. organization is the first, largest, and most prestigious. The LPGA is also an organization for female club and teaching professionals. This is different from the PGA Tour, which runs the main professional tours in the U.S. and, since 1968, has been independent of the club and teaching professionals' organization, the PGA of America. The LPGA also administers an annual qualifying school similar to that conducted by the PGA Tour. Depending on a golfer's finish in the final qualifying tournament, she may receive full or partial playing privileges on the LPGA Tour. In addition to the main LPGA Tour, the LPGA also owns and operates the Epson Tour, formerly the Futures Tour, the official developmental tour of the LPGA. Top finishers at the end of each season on that tour receive playing privileges on the main LPGA Tour for the following year. The LPGA is the oldest continuing women's professional sports organization in the United States.[4][5] It succeeded the WPGA (Women's Professional Golf Association), which was founded in 1944 but stopped its limited tour after the 1948 season and officially ceased operations in December 1949.[6] The WPGA was founded by Ellen Griffin, Betty Hicks, and Hope Seignious.[7][8] The LPGA was founded in 1950 at Rolling Hills Country Club in Wichita, Kansas.[9] Its 13 founders were: Alice Bauer, Patty Berg, Bettye Danoff, Helen Dettweiler, Marlene Hagge, Helen Hicks, Opal Hill, Betty Jameson, Sally Sessions, Marilynn Smith, Shirley Spork, Louise Suggs, and Babe Zaharias.[10][11] Patty Berg was its first president.[11] The founders were elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame as a group in 2023 though six had already been inducted individually.[12] The first LPGA tournament was the 1950 Tampa Women's Open, held at Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club in Tampa, Florida. Ironically, the winner was amateur Polly Riley, who beat the stellar field of professional founders.[13] In 1956, the LPGA hosted its first tournament outside the United States at the Havana Open in Havana, Cuba. In 1996, Muffin Spencer-Devlin became the first LPGA player to come out as gay.[14] In 2001, Jane Blalock's JBC Marketing established the Women's Senior Golf Tour, now called the Legends Tour, for women professionals aged 45 and older. This is affiliated with the LPGA, but is not owned by the LPGA. Since 2006, the LPGA has played a season-ending championship tournament. Michael Whan became the eighth commissioner of the LPGA in October 2009, succeeding the ousted Carolyn Bivens.[5][15] Whan is a former marketing executive in the sporting goods industry.[16] After a lawsuit filed by golfer Lana Lawless, the rules were changed in 2010 to allow transgender competitors.[17][18][19] In 2013, trans woman Bobbi Lancaster faced local scorn for attempting playing in Arizona's Cactus Tour and attempting to qualify in the LPGA Qualifying Tournament.[20] In 2018, the LPGA acquired an amateur golf association, the Executive Women's Golf Association (EWGA), and expanded its emphasis to include amateur golfers in the U.S. and North America. Initially called the LPGA Women Who Play,[21] the amateur organization was rebranded as the LPGA Amateur Golf Association. The LPGA Amateur Golf Association has member-operated chapters throughout North America and the Caribbean.[22] Prize money and tournaments In 2010, total official prize money on the LPGA Tour was $41.4 million, a decrease of over $6 million from 2009. In 2010 there were 24 official tournaments, down from 28 in 2009 and 34 in 2008. Despite the loss in total tournaments, the number of tournaments hosted outside of the United States in 2010 stayed the same, as all four lost tournaments had been hosted in the United States. By 2016, the number of tournaments had risen to 33 with a record-high total prize money in excess of $63 million. In 2019, a new record was set with total prize money amounting to $70.5 million (a rise of over $5 million in one year).[23] International presence In its first four decades, the LPGA Tour was dominated by American players. Sandra Post of Canada became the first player living outside the United States to gain an LPGA tour card in 1968. The non-U.S. contingent is now very large. The last time an American player topped the money list was in 2014 (Stacy Lewis), the last time an American led the tour in tournaments won was in 2020 (Danielle Kang), and from 2000 through 2009, non-Americans won 31 of 40 major championships. Particularly, one of the notable trends seen in the early 21st century in the LPGA is the rise and dominance of Korean golfers.[24] Se Ri Pak's early success in the LPGA sparked the boom in Korean women golfers on the LPGA Tour.[25] In 2009, there were 122 non-Americans from 27 countries on the tour, including 47 from South Korea, 14 from Sweden, 10 from Australia, eight from the United Kingdom (four from England, three from Scotland and one from Wales), seven from Canada, five from Taiwan, and four from Japan.[26] LPGA Tour tournaments Kristy McPherson during her practice round before the 2009 LPGA Championship at Bulle Rock Golf Course in Maryland. As a United States-based tour, most of the LPGA Tour's events are held in the United States. In 1956, the LPGA hosted its first tournament outside the United States at the Havana Open in Havana, Cuba. In 2020, fourteen tournaments are held outside of the United States, seven events in Asia, four in Europe, two events in Australia, and one in Canada. Five of the tournaments held outside North America are co-sanctioned with other professional tours. The Ladies European Tour co-sanctions the Women's British Open, The Evian Championship in France, and the Women's Australian Open (also co-sanctioned with the ALPG Tour). The other two co-sanctioned events—the BMW Ladies Championship (LPGA of Korea Tour) and Toto Japan Classic (LPGA of Japan Tour)—are held during the tour's autumn swing to Asia. LPGA majors The LPGA's annual major championships are: Chevron Championship U.S. Women's Open Women's PGA Championship Women's British Open The Evian Championship LPGA Playoffs Since 2006, the LPGA has played a season-ending championship tournament. Through the 2008 season, it was known as the LPGA Playoffs at The ADT; in 2009 and 2010, it was known as the LPGA Tour Championship; and in 2011, the event became the CME Group Titleholders, held in November. From 2006 through 2008 the LPGA schedule was divided into two halves, with 15 players from each half qualifying for the Championship based on their performance. Two wild-card selections were also included for a final field of 21 players. The winner of the LPGA Tour Championship, which features three days of "playoffs" plus the final championship round, earns $1 million. In 2009, the Tour Championship field was increased to 120 players, with entry open to all Tour members in the top 120 on the money list as of three weeks prior to the start of the tournament. The total purse was $1.5 million with $225,000 going to the winner. The CME Group Titleholders, which resurrects the name of a former LPGA major championship (the Titleholders Championship), was first played in 2011. From 2011 to 2013, its field was made up of three qualifiers from each official tour event during the season, specifically the top three finishers not previously qualified. Beginning in 2014, the field will be determined by a season-long points race. The winner of the points race will receive a $1 million bonus.[27] 2023 LPGA Tour See also: 2023 LPGA Tour Historical tour schedules and results Year Number of official tournaments Countries hosting tournaments Tournaments in United States Tournaments in other countries Total prize money ($) 2023 32 11 21 11 102,350,000[28][29][30][31][32][33][34] 2022 32 9 23 9 93,900,000[35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43] 2021 30 7 23 7 69,200,000 2020 18 3 14 4 41,300,000 2019 32 12 20 12 70,200,000 2018 33 13 19 14 66,950,000 2017 34 15 17 17 67,650,000 2016 33 14 18 15 63,000,000 2015 31 14 17 14 59,100,000 2014 32 14 17 15 57,550,000 2013 28 14 14 14 48,900,000 2012 27 12 15 12 47,000,000 2011 23 11 13 10 41,500,000 2010 24 10 14 10 41,400,000 2009 28 9 18 10 47,600,000 2008 34 8 24 10 60,300,000 2007 31 8 23 8 54,285,000 2006 33 8 25 8 50,275,000 2005 32 7 25 7 45,100,000 2004 32 6 27 5 42,875,000 Official tournaments are tournaments in which earnings and scores are credited to the players' official LPGA record. Hall of Fame The LPGA established the Hall of Fame of Women's Golf in 1951, with four charter members: Patty Berg, Betty Jameson, Louise Suggs, and Babe Zaharias. After being inactive for several years, the Hall of Fame moved in 1967 to its first physical premises, in Augusta, Georgia, and was renamed the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame. In 1998 it merged into the World Golf Hall of Fame. LPGA Tour awards The LPGA Tour presents several annual awards. Three are awarded in competitive contests, based on scoring over the course of the year. The Player of the Year is awarded based on a formula in which points are awarded for top-10 finishes and are doubled at the LPGA's five major championships, and the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship. The points system is: 30 points for first; 12 points for second; nine points for third; seven points for fourth; six points for fifth; five points for sixth; four points for seventh; three points for eighth; two points for ninth and one point for 10th. The Vare Trophy, named for Glenna Collett-Vare, is given to the player with the lowest scoring average for the season. The Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year Award is awarded to the first-year player on the LPGA Tour who scores the highest in a points competition in which points are awarded based on a player's finish in an event. The points system is: 150 points for first; 80 points for second; 75 points for third; 70 points for fourth; and 65 points for fifth. After fifth place, points are awarded in decrements of three, beginning at sixth place with 62 points. Points are doubled in the major events and at the season-ending Tour Championship. Rookies who make the cut in an event and finish below 41st each receive five points. The award is named after Louise Suggs, one of the founders of the LPGA. American golfer Nancy Lopez, in 1978, is the only player to win all three awards in the same season. Lopez was also the Tour's top money earner that season. Year Player of the Year Vare Trophy Rookie of the Year 2022 New Zealand Lydia Ko New Zealand Lydia Ko Thailand Atthaya Thitikul[44] 2021 South Korea Ko Jin-young New Zealand Lydia Ko Thailand Patty Tavatanakit[45] 2020 South Korea Kim Sei-young United States Danielle Kang – 2019 South Korea Ko Jin-young South Korea Ko Jin-young South Korea Lee Jeong-eun 2018 Thailand Ariya Jutanugarn[46] Thailand Ariya Jutanugarn South Korea Ko Jin-young[47] 2017 South Korea Sung Hyun Park South Korea So Yeon Ryu United States Lexi Thompson South Korea Sung Hyun Park[48] 2016 Thailand Ariya Jutanugarn South Korea In Gee Chun South Korea In Gee Chun 2015 New Zealand Lydia Ko South Korea Inbee Park South Korea Sei Young Kim 2014 United States Stacy Lewis United States Stacy Lewis New Zealand Lydia Ko[49] 2013 South Korea Inbee Park United States Stacy Lewis Thailand Moriya Jutanugarn 2012 United States Stacy Lewis South Korea Inbee Park South Korea So Yeon Ryu 2011 Taiwan Yani Tseng Taiwan Yani Tseng South Korea Hee Kyung Seo 2010 Taiwan Yani Tseng South Korea Na Yeon Choi Spain Azahara Muñoz 2009 Mexico Lorena Ochoa Mexico Lorena Ochoa South Korea Jiyai Shin 2008 Mexico Lorena Ochoa Mexico Lorena Ochoa Taiwan Yani Tseng 2007 Mexico Lorena Ochoa Mexico Lorena Ochoa Brazil Angela Park 2006 Mexico Lorena Ochoa Mexico Lorena Ochoa South Korea Seon Hwa Lee 2005 Sweden Annika Sörenstam Sweden Annika Sörenstam United States Paula Creamer 2004 Sweden Annika Sörenstam South Korea Grace Park South Korea Shi Hyun Ahn 2003 Sweden Annika Sörenstam South Korea Se Ri Pak Mexico Lorena Ochoa 2002 Sweden Annika Sörenstam Sweden Annika Sörenstam United States Beth Bauer 2001 Sweden Annika Sörenstam Sweden Annika Sörenstam South Korea Hee-Won Han 2000 Australia Karrie Webb Australia Karrie Webb United States Dorothy Delasin 1999 Australia Karrie Webb Australia Karrie Webb South Korea Mi Hyun Kim 1998 Sweden Annika Sörenstam Sweden Annika Sörenstam South Korea Se Ri Pak 1997 Sweden Annika Sörenstam Australia Karrie Webb England Lisa Hackney 1996 England Laura Davies Sweden Annika Sörenstam Australia Karrie Webb 1995 Sweden Annika Sörenstam Sweden Annika Sörenstam United States Pat Hurst 1994 United States Beth Daniel United States Beth Daniel Sweden Annika Sörenstam 1993 United States Betsy King United States Betsy King England Suzanne Strudwick 1992 United States Dottie Mochrie United States Dottie Mochrie Sweden Helen Alfredsson 1991 United States Pat Bradley United States Pat Bradley United States Brandie Burton 1990 United States Beth Daniel United States Beth Daniel Japan Hiromi Kobayashi 1989 United States Betsy King United States Beth Daniel Scotland Pam Wright 1988 United States Nancy Lopez United States Colleen Walker Sweden Liselotte Neumann 1987 Japan Ayako Okamoto United States Betsy King United States Tammie Green 1986 United States Pat Bradley United States Pat Bradley United States Jody Rosenthal 1985 United States Nancy Lopez United States Nancy Lopez United States Penny Hammel 1984 United States Betsy King United States Patty Sheehan United States Juli Inkster 1983 United States Patty Sheehan United States JoAnne Carner United States Stephanie Farwig 1982 United States JoAnne Carner United States JoAnne Carner United States Patti Rizzo 1981 United States JoAnne Carner United States JoAnne Carner United States Patty Sheehan 1980 United States Beth Daniel United States Amy Alcott United States Myra Blackwelder 1979 United States Nancy Lopez United States Nancy Lopez United States Beth Daniel 1978 United States Nancy Lopez United States Nancy Lopez United States Nancy Lopez 1977 United States Judy Rankin United States Judy Rankin United States Debbie Massey 1976 United States Judy Rankin United States Judy Rankin United States Bonnie Lauer 1975 United States Sandra Palmer United States JoAnne Carner United States Amy Alcott 1974 United States JoAnne Carner United States JoAnne Carner Australia Jan Stephenson 1973 United States Kathy Whitworth United States Judy Rankin United States Laura Baugh 1972 United States Kathy Whitworth United States Kathy Whitworth Canada Jocelyne Bourassa 1971 United States Kathy Whitworth United States Kathy Whitworth South Africa Sally Little 1970 United States Sandra Haynie United States Kathy Whitworth United States JoAnne Carner 1969 United States Kathy Whitworth United States Kathy Whitworth United States Jane Blalock 1968 United States Kathy Whitworth United States Carol Mann Canada Sandra Post 1967 United States Kathy Whitworth United States Kathy Whitworth United States Sharron Moran 1966 United States Kathy Whitworth United States Kathy Whitworth United States Jan Ferraris 1965 – United States Kathy Whitworth Australia Margie Masters 1964 – United States Mickey Wright United States Susie Maxwell 1963 – United States Mickey Wright United States Clifford Ann Creed 1962 – United States Mickey Wright United States Mary Mills 1961 – United States Mickey Wright – 1960 – United States Mickey Wright – 1959 – United States Betsy Rawls – 1958 – United States Beverly Hanson – 1957 – United States Louise Suggs – 1956 – United States Patty Berg – 1955 – United States Patty Berg – 1954 – United States Babe Zaharias – 1953 – United States Patty Berg – Leading money winners by year Year Player Country Earnings ($) Most wins 2022 Lydia Ko New Zealand 4,364,403 3 – Lydia Ko, Jennifer Kupcho 2021 Ko Jin-young South Korea 3,502,161 5 – Ko Jin-young 2020 Ko Jin-young South Korea 1,667,925 2 – Danielle Kang, Kim Sei-young 2019 Ko Jin-young South Korea 2,773,894 4 – Ko Jin-young 2018 Ariya Jutanugarn Thailand 2,743,949 3 – Ariya Jutanugarn, Sung Hyun Park 2017 Sung Hyun Park South Korea 2,335,883 3 – Shanshan Feng, In-Kyung Kim 2016 Ariya Jutanugarn Thailand 2,550,928 5 – Ariya Jutanugarn 2015 Lydia Ko New Zealand 2,800,802 5 – Lydia Ko, Inbee Park 2014 Stacy Lewis United States 2,539,039 3 – Lydia Ko, Stacy Lewis, Inbee Park 2013 Inbee Park South Korea 2,456,619 6 – Inbee Park 2012 Inbee Park South Korea 2,287,080 4 – Stacy Lewis 2011 Yani Tseng Taiwan 2,921,713 7 – Yani Tseng 2010 Na Yeon Choi South Korea 1,871,166 5 – Ai Miyazato 2009 Jiyai Shin South Korea 1,807,334 3 – Jiyai Shin, Lorena Ochoa 2008 Lorena Ochoa Mexico 2,754,660 7 – Lorena Ochoa 2007 Lorena Ochoa Mexico 4,364,994 8 – Lorena Ochoa 2006 Lorena Ochoa Mexico 2,592,872 6 – Lorena Ochoa 2005 Annika Sörenstam Sweden 2,588,240 10 – Annika Sörenstam 2004 Annika Sörenstam Sweden 2,544,707 8 – Annika Sörenstam 2003 Annika Sörenstam Sweden 2,029,506 6 – Annika Sörenstam 2002 Annika Sörenstam Sweden 2,863,904 11 – Annika Sörenstam 2001 Annika Sörenstam Sweden 2,105,868 8 – Annika Sörenstam 2000 Karrie Webb Australia 1,876,853 7 – Karrie Webb 1999 Karrie Webb Australia 1,591,959 6 – Karrie Webb 1998 Annika Sörenstam Sweden 1,092,748 4 – Annika Sörenstam, Se Ri Pak 1997 Annika Sörenstam Sweden 1,236,789 6 – Annika Sörenstam 1996 Karrie Webb Australia 1,002,000 4 – Laura Davies, Dottie Pepper, Karrie Webb 1995 Annika Sörenstam Sweden 666,533 3 – Annika Sörenstam 1994 Laura Davies England 687,201 4 – Beth Daniel 1993 Betsy King United States 595,992 3 – Brandie Burton 1992 Dottie Mochrie United States 693,335 4 – Dottie Mochrie 1991 Pat Bradley United States 763,118 4 – Pat Bradley, Meg Mallon 1990 Beth Daniel United States 863,578 7 – Beth Daniel 1989 Betsy King United States 654,132 6 – Betsy King 1988 Sherri Turner United States 350,851 3 – 5 players (see 1) 1987 Ayako Okamoto Japan 466,034 5 – Jane Geddes 1986 Pat Bradley United States 492,021 5 – Pat Bradley 1985 Nancy Lopez United States 416,472 5 – Nancy Lopez 1984 Betsy King United States 266,771 4 – Patty Sheehan, Amy Alcott 1983 JoAnne Carner United States 291,404 4 – Pat Bradley, Patty Sheehan 1982 JoAnne Carner United States 310,400 5 – JoAnne Carner, Beth Daniel 1981 Beth Daniel United States 206,998 5 – Donna Caponi 1980 Beth Daniel United States 231,000 5 – Donna Caponi, JoAnne Carner 1979 Nancy Lopez United States 197,489 8 – Nancy Lopez 1978 Nancy Lopez United States 189,814 9 – Nancy Lopez 1977 Judy Rankin United States 122,890 5 – Judy Rankin, Debbie Austin 1976 Judy Rankin United States 150,734 6 – Judy Rankin 1975 Sandra Palmer United States 76,374 4 – Carol Mann, Sandra Haynie 1974 JoAnne Carner United States 87,094 6 – JoAnne Carner, Sandra Haynie 1973 Kathy Whitworth United States 82,864 7 – Kathy Whitworth 1972 Kathy Whitworth United States 65,063 5 – Kathy Whitworth, Jane Blalock 1971 Kathy Whitworth United States 41,181 5 – Kathy Whitworth 1970 Kathy Whitworth United States 30,235 4 – Shirley Englehorn 1969 Carol Mann United States 49,152 8 – Carol Mann 1968 Kathy Whitworth United States 48,379 10 – Carol Mann, Kathy Whitworth 1967 Kathy Whitworth United States 32,937 8 – Kathy Whitworth 1966 Kathy Whitworth United States 33,517 9 – Kathy Whitworth 1965 Kathy Whitworth United States 28,658 8 – Kathy Whitworth 1964 Mickey Wright United States 29,800 11 – Mickey Wright 1963 Mickey Wright United States 31,269 13 – Mickey Wright 1962 Mickey Wright United States 21,641 10 – Mickey Wright 1961 Mickey Wright United States 22,236 10 – Mickey Wright 1960 Louise Suggs United States 16,892 6 – Mickey Wright 1959 Betsy Rawls United States 26,774 10 – Betsy Rawls 1958 Beverly Hanson United States 12,639 5 – Mickey Wright 1957 Patty Berg United States 16,272 5 – Betsy Rawls, Patty Berg 1956 Marlene Hagge United States 20,235 8 – Marlene Hagge 1955 Patty Berg United States 16,492 6 – Patty Berg 1954 Patty Berg United States 16,011 5 – Louise Suggs, Babe Zaharias 1953 Louise Suggs United States 19,816 8 – Louise Suggs 1952 Betsy Rawls United States 14,505 8 – Betsy Rawls 1951 Babe Zaharias United States 15,087 9 – Babe Zaharias 1950 Babe Zaharias United States 14,800 8 – Babe Zaharias 1 The five players with three titles in 1988 were Juli Inkster, Rosie Jones, Betsy King, Nancy Lopez, and Ayako Okamoto. Leading career money winners The table below shows the top-10 career money leaders on the LPGA Tour (from the start of their rookie seasons) as of July 16, 2023.[50] Active players on the Tour are shown in bold. Rank Player Country Played Earnings ($) Career events 1 Annika Sörenstam Sweden 1994–2023 22,583,693 307 2 Karrie Webb Australia 1996–present 20,293,617 494 3 Cristie Kerr United States 1997–present 20,173,451 595 4 Inbee Park South Korea 2007–present 18,262,344 305 5 Lydia Ko New Zealand 2014–present 16,876,675 215 6 Lorena Ochoa Mexico 2003–2010 14,863,331 175 7 Suzann Pettersen Norway 2003–2019 14,837,578 316 8 Stacy Lewis United States 2009–present 14,443,395 334 9 Juli Inkster United States 1983–present 14,018,391 714 10 Lexi Thompson United States 2012–present 13,698,315 232 Total prize money awarded in past years Season Total purse ($) 2020 41,300,000 (73,500,000[51][52]) 2010 41,400,000 2000 38,500,000 1990 17,100,000 1980 5,150,000 1970 435,040 1960 186,700 1950 50,000 See also Golf in the United States List of golfers with most LPGA Tour wins List of LPGA major championship winning golfers Professional Golfers' Association of America Professional golf tours Women's World Golf Rankings The World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site honors both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 golf organizations from all over the world.[1] The Hall of Fame Museum Building was designed by the specialist museum architecture firm E. Verner Johnson and Associates of Boston. They also produced the museum master plan that established the size, mission and qualities of the museum and the surrounding facilities and site. The Hall of Fame Museum features a permanent exhibition and a rolling program of temporary exhibitions. Designed by museum design firm Ralph Appelbaum Associates, the Hall of Fame and exhibition area contains exhibits on the game's history, heritage, and techniques; major players and organizations; golf course design, equipment, and dress.[2] History The World Golf Hall of Fame was originally located in Pinehurst, North Carolina, and was privately operated by Diamondhead Corp., then owners of the Pinehurst Resort. It opened in September 1974 with an initial class of 13 members.[3] Initially it was a local project, but the PGA of America took over management in 1983 and acquired full ownership in 1986. Two other halls of fame have been merged into the World Golf Hall of Fame. The PGA of America established one in 1940, which was merged into the Pinehurst Hall in the 1980s. The Hall of Fame of Women's Golf was established by the LPGA in 1951, with four charter members: Patty Berg, Betty Jameson, Louise Suggs, and Babe Zaharias. It was inactive for some years, but in 1967 it moved into its first physical premises, which were in Augusta, Georgia and was renamed the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame. In 1998 it merged into the World Golf Hall of Fame. In 1994 the global golf industry established a non-profit making body called the World Golf Foundation to promote the sport, with the creation of an enhanced Hall of Fame as one of its main objectives. Construction at the new site in St. Johns County, Florida began in 1996 and the new facility opened on May 19, 1998. Membership categories In October 2013, the Hall announced that it was reviewing its selection process and that there would be no induction ceremony in 2014.[4][5] A new process was announced in March 2014. Starting in 2014, members were inducted into the Hall of Fame in one of four categories: Male Competitor, Female Competitor, Veterans, and Lifetime Achievement categories. Elections are held every other year with induction ceremonies in odd number years beginning in 2015. The process has changed from that used from 1996 to 2013. The minimum qualifications for male and female competitors are: minimum of 40 years old, or five years removed from "active competition" and 15 or more wins on "approved tours" or two "major wins". The veterans category is primarily for those golfers whose careers ended before 1980 and includes both amateurs and professionals. The lifetime achievement category remains from the old system.[6] The Hall again revised the criteria in 2020 and now recognize two categories: Competitor and Contributor. A 30-member nominating sub-committee composed of Hall of Fame members, World Golf Foundation Board organizations and members of the media will choose from among the eligible candidates and nominate a total of 10 individuals (four male competitors, four female competitors, and two contributors).[7] A separate 20-member selection committee will then vote on all four ballots.[8] Election to the Hall of Fame will require 75% of the vote and each year's election class is limited to two from each ballot and five total.[6][9] In 2016, the Hall announced that the age requirement would be raised to 50 from 40 years old.[10] In 2020, the age went from 50 to 45.[11] Qualification details Male Approved tours (15 wins total) PGA Tour European Tour Japan Golf Tour Sunshine Tour Asian Tour PGA Tour of Australasia Majors or Players Championship (two wins) Masters Tournament U.S. Open The Open Championship PGA Championship The Players Championship Female Approved tours (15 wins total) LPGA Tour Ladies European Tour LPGA of Japan Tour LPGA of Korea Tour ALPG Tour Majors (two wins) U.S. Women's Open Women's PGA Championship The Women's Open Championship (2001−current) Chevron Championship (1983−current; formerly known as the Dinah Shore, Kraft Nabisco Championship, and ANA Inspiration) The Evian Championship (2013−current) du Maurier Classic (1979−2000) Titleholders Championship (1937-1966, 1972) Women's Western Open (1930-1967) Categories from 1996 to 2013 From 1996 to 2013, members were inducted into the Hall of Fame in one of five categories: PGA Tour/Champions Tour, LPGA Tour, International, Lifetime Achievement, and Veterans. PGA Tour/Champions Tour ballot Current and former PGA Tour and Champions Tour players were eligible for this ballot if they met the following requirements (beginning with 1996 election): PGA Tour Minimum of 40 years old PGA Tour member for 10 years 10 PGA Tour wins or two wins in the majors or Players Championship Champions Tour Champions Tour member for five years 20 wins between PGA Tour and Champions Tour or five wins in the majors (regular or senior) or Players Championship Election requirements: Years % of returned ballots needed for election 1996–2000 75% 2001–2003 65% 2004–2013 65%, in the event that no candidate receives 65%, the nominee receiving the most votes with at least 50% is elected Voters voted for up to 30% of the players on the ballot. If a player was named on less than 5% of the ballots for two consecutive years, they were dropped from the ballot. Players not elected could remain on the ballot indefinitely[12] (prior to 2007 the limit was 10 years, from 2007 to 2009 the limit was 15 years).[13] LPGA point system LPGA Tour golfers were eligible through a point system. Since 1999, LPGA members automatically qualified for World Golf Hall of Fame membership when they meet these three criteria: Must be/have been an "active" LPGA Tour member for 10 years. Must have won/been awarded at least one of the following – an LPGA major championship, the Vare Trophy or Player of the Year honors; and Must have accumulated a total of 27 points, which are awarded as follows – one point for each LPGA official tournament win, two points for each LPGA major tournament win and one point for each Vare Trophy or Rolex Player of the Year honor earned. Before 1999, players had to win 30 tournaments, including two majors; 35 tournaments with one major; or 40 tournaments in all to automatically qualify. At one time, players had to win two different majors to qualify with 30 wins, but this was changed earlier in the 1990s. This point system is still used for selection to the LPGA Hall of Fame.[14] However, in March 2022, the ten-year requirement was scrapped, and a point for winning an Olympic gold medal was added to the criteria.[15] International ballot Men and women golfers not fully eligible for PGA/Champions Tour ballot or the LPGA Tour point system were eligible for the International ballot if they met the following requirements[16] (beginning with the 1996 election): Minimum of 40 years old Cumulative 50 points earned as follows: Men 6 points – Major victories 4 points – Players Championship win 3 points – Other PGA Tour win, European Tour win 2 points – Japan Golf Tour, Sunshine Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia, Champions Tour win 1 point – Other national championship win; Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup participation Women 6 points – Major[a] victories 4 points – Other LPGA Tour win, Women's British Open win prior to 2001[b] 2 points – LPGA of Japan Tour win, Ladies European Tour win 1 point – Other national championship win, Solheim Cup participation Election requirements: same as PGA Tour ballot. Lifetime Achievement category There was also a "lifetime achievement" category through which anyone who had made a major contribution to the organization or promotion of the sport may be selected, for example, Bob Hope. These members were chosen by the Hall of Fame's Board of Directors. Most played golf, in some cases with some competitive success, but it was not their play alone which won them a place in the Hall of Fame. Veteran's category The last category was created to honor professional or amateur players whose career concluded at least 30 years ago. These members were also chosen by the Hall of Fame's Board of Directors. Membership New members are inducted each year on the Monday before The Players Championship[17] (previous to 2010 in October or November), and by May 2013 there were 146 members. Beginning in 2010, the ballots are due in July with the results announced later in the year. New entrants in the Lifetime Achievement and Veteran's categories are announced at irregular intervals. For example, Frank Chirkinian was elected in the Lifetime Achievement category in an emergency election in February 2011, with the vote presumably held because he was then terminally ill with lung cancer;[18] when it became clear he would not live to attend his induction, he videotaped his acceptance speech in late February, less than two weeks before his death.[19] Men Unless stated otherwise these men were inducted mainly for their on-course success. The exceptions mostly correspond with the lifetime achievement category, but not quite. For example, Charlie Sifford was notable as a player but was inducted for lifetime achievement. 1974 United States Walter Hagen 1974 United States Ben Hogan 1974 United States Bobby Jones 1974 United States Byron Nelson 1974 United States Jack Nicklaus 1974 United States Francis Ouimet 1974 United States Arnold Palmer 1974 South Africa Gary Player 1974 United States Gene Sarazen 1974 United States Sam Snead 1974 Jersey Harry Vardon 1975 Scotland Willie Anderson 1975 United States Fred Corcoran – many-faceted promoter and administrator 1975 United States Joseph Dey – executive director of the USGA and the first commissioner of the PGA Tour 1975 United States Chick Evans 1975 Scotland Young Tom Morris 1975 England John Henry Taylor 1976 Scotland United States Tommy Armour 1976 Scotland James Braid 1976 Scotland Old Tom Morris 1976 United States Jerome Travers 1977 South Africa Bobby Locke 1977 England John Ball 1977 United States Herb Graffis – golf writer and founder of the U.S. National Golf Foundation 1977 Scotland Donald Ross – golf course architect 1978 United States Billy Casper 1978 England Harold Hilton 1978 United States Bing Crosby – celebrity friend of golf who founded his own PGA Tour event 1978 United States Clifford Roberts – co-founder of the Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament 1979 United States Walter Travis 1980 England Henry Cotton 1980 United States Lawson Little 1981 United States Ralph Guldahl 1981 United States Lee Trevino 1982 United States Julius Boros 1983 United States Jimmy Demaret 1983 United States Bob Hope – celebrity friend of golf who founded his own PGA Tour event 1986 United States Cary Middlecoff 1987 United States Robert Trent Jones – golf course architect 1988 United States Bob Harlow – promoter who played a key role in the early development of the PGA Tour 1988 Australia Peter Thomson 1988 United States Tom Watson 1989 England Jim Barnes 1989 Argentina Roberto De Vicenzo 1989 United States Raymond Floyd 1990 United States William C. Campbell – two-time President of the USGA 1990 United States Gene Littler 1990 United States Paul Runyan 1990 United States Horton Smith 1992 United States Harry Cooper 1992 United States Hale Irwin 1992 Puerto Rico Chi-Chi Rodríguez 1992 United States Richard Tufts – ran Pinehurst and served as President of the USGA 1996 United States Johnny Miller 1997 Spain Seve Ballesteros 1997 England Nick Faldo 1998 United States Lloyd Mangrum 2000 United States Jack Burke Jr. 2000 United States Deane Beman – Commissioner of the PGA Tour 1974-1994 2000 England Michael Bonallack – British golf administrator 2000 England Neil Coles – first Chairman of the PGA European Tour 2000 England John Jacobs – first Tournament Director of the European Tour 2001 Germany Bernhard Langer (inducted with 2002 class)[20] 2001 Australia Greg Norman 2001 United States Payne Stewart 2001 Scotland Allan Robertson 2001 United States Karsten Solheim – golf equipment manufacturer and founder of the Solheim Cup 2002 United States Ben Crenshaw 2002 England Tony Jacklin 2002 United States Tommy Bolt 2002 United States Harvey Penick – golf instructor 2003 Zimbabwe Nick Price 2003 United States Leo Diegel 2004 United States Charlie Sifford 2004 Japan Isao Aoki 2004 United States Tom Kite 2005 England Bernard Darwin – golf writer 2005 England Alister MacKenzie – golf course architect 2005 Scotland Willie Park Sr. 2005 Fiji Vijay Singh (inducted with 2006 class)[21] 2006 United States Larry Nelson 2006 United States Henry Picard 2006 United States Mark McCormack – sports agent who represented many top golfers; the developer of golf's first world ranking system, adapted into today's Official World Golf Ranking 2007 Republic of Ireland Joe Carr 2007 United States Hubert Green 2007 United States Charles B. Macdonald – inaugural U.S. Amateur champion, founding Vice-President of the USGA and "Father of American Golf Architecture" 2007 Australia Kel Nagle 2007 United States Curtis Strange 2008 New Zealand Bob Charles 2008 United States Pete Dye – golf course architect 2008 United States Denny Shute 2008 United States Herbert Warren Wind – golf writer 2008 United States Craig Wood 2009 Republic of Ireland Christy O'Connor Snr 2009 Spain José María Olazábal 2009 United States Lanny Wadkins 2009 United States Dwight D. Eisenhower – former U.S. President 2011 South Africa Ernie Els 2011 Japan Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki 2011 United States Doug Ford 2011 Scotland United States Jock Hutchison 2011 United States Frank Chirkinian – television producer, known as the 'father of televised golf' for the impact he had on golf broadcasting. 2011 United States George H. W. Bush – former U.S. President 2012 United States Phil Mickelson[22] 2012 United States Dan Jenkins – golf writer[23] 2012 Scotland Sandy Lyle[24] 2012 England Peter Alliss[24] 2013 United States Fred Couples[25] 2013 United States Ken Venturi[26] 2013 Scotland Willie Park Jr.[27] 2013 Scotland Colin Montgomerie[28] 2013 Scotland Ken Schofield[28] – Executive Director of the European Tour 2015 Australia David Graham[29] 2015 United States Mark O'Meara[29] 2015 United States A. W. Tillinghast – golf course architect[29] 2017 England Henry Longhurst – golf writer and commentator 2017 United States Davis Love III 2017 Wales Ian Woosnam 2019 South Africa Retief Goosen 2019 United States Billy Payne − Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club 2019 United States Dennis Walters − disabled golfer and inspirational speaker and performer 2021 United States Tiger Woods[30] 2021 United States Tim Finchem – Commissioner of the PGA Tour 1994–2017[31] 2023 United States Johnny Farrell[32] 2023 Republic of Ireland Pádraig Harrington[32] 2023 United States Tom Weiskopf[32] Women The first five women on this list were grandfathered in 1998 from the Hall of Fame of Women's Golf, which was founded in 1951, via the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame, which was inaugurated in 1967. The list shows the years when they were originally inducted into the Hall of Fame of Women's Golf. Unless stated otherwise the women on the list were inducted primarily for their on-course achievements. Players marked with an (f) denotes they were elected twice -- once individually, and once collectively for the 2024 nominations announced on March 8, 2023 for the 13 LPGA founders. 1951 United States Betty Jameson (f) 1951 United States Patty Berg (f) 1951 United States Louise Suggs (f) 1951 United States Babe Didrikson Zaharias (f) 1960 United States Betsy Rawls 1964 United States Mickey Wright 1975 United States Glenna Collett-Vare 1975 England Joyce Wethered 1975 United States Kathy Whitworth 1977 United States Sandra Haynie 1977 United States Carol Mann 1978 Scotland United States Dorothy Campbell Hurd Howe 1982 United States JoAnne Carner 1987 United States Nancy Lopez 1991 United States Pat Bradley 1993 United States Patty Sheehan 1994 United States Dinah Shore – celebrity friend of the LPGA; founded a tournament that eventually became a major 1995 United States Betsy King 1999 United States Amy Alcott 2000 United States Beth Daniel 2000 United States Juli Inkster 2000 United States Judy Rankin 2001 United States Donna Caponi 2001 United States Judy Bell – administrator; first female President of the USGA 2002 United States Marlene Bauer Hagge (f) 2003 Japan Hisako "Chako" Higuchi 2003 Sweden Annika Sörenstam 2004 Canada Marlene Stewart Streit 2005 Japan Ayako Okamoto 2005 Australia Karrie Webb 2006 United States Marilynn Smith (f) 2007 South Korea Pak Se-ri 2008 United States Carol Semple Thompson 2012 United States Hollis Stacy[33] 2015 England Laura Davies[29] 2017 United States Meg Mallon 2017 Mexico Lorena Ochoa 2019 United States Peggy Kirk Bell 2019 Australia Jan Stephenson 2021 United States Marion Hollins[34] 2021 United States Susie Maxwell Berning[35] 2023 United States Beverly Hanson[32] 2023 United States Sandra Palmer[32] 2023 LPGA Founders (those not previously in Hall listed):[32] United States Alice Bauer United States Bettye Danoff United States Helen Dettweiler United States Helen Hicks United States Opal Hill United States Sally Sessions United States Shirley Spork Notes  This specifically refers to events recognized as majors by the U.S. LPGA. The three richest women's tours each recognize a different set of majors, although the U.S. LPGA set is by far the most significant on a global scale. See women's major golf championships for a fuller discussion.  The Women's British Open was first recognized as a U.S. LPGA major in 2001.
  • Condition: Used
  • Industry: Sports
  • Signed: Yes
  • Original/Reproduction: Original
  • Autographed Item: Ball
  • Country/Region of Manufacture: United States

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