From the 1950s and the LPGA’s founding years, to the 1970s where barriers were breaking down, and to present day, the LPGA has a rich 75-year history. Tune in all season long as we honor decades from the past and present.

The 1950s: The Founding Years

The 1950s

Marked by the post-World War II boom, the LPGA was established by 13 trailblazers who became the founding members of the organization. During a time of prosperity and peace, these women established the Ladies Professional Golf Association in 1950, today’s longest-running professional women’s sports organization to date.

Meet the 13 Founders:

Alice Bauer: Alice Bauer, sister to fellow LPGA founder Marlene Bauer Hagge, was one of the first “moms on tour” and brought her two children along with her to tournaments. While she never had a win during her time on the LPGA Tour, she finished 14th on the LPGA’s season Official Money List in 1956.
Patty Berg: Patty “Dynamite” Berg earned more women’s major titles than any other golfer, having played well before the LPGA Tour was established, and was among the first to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Her namesake was given to the Patty Berg Award, which was granted annually to the woman who “has made the greatest contribution to women’s golf during the year” and was last awarded to Shirley Spork in 2015.
Bettye Danoff: Bettye “Mighty Mite” Danoff grew up with the game on her family’s nine-hole golf course, and while she never won during her time on the LPGA Tour, she had an impressive amateur career, winning tournaments across her home state of Texas from 1945 to 1948. In 2000, she earned the LPGA Commissioners Award, which honors “a person or organization who had contributed uniquely to the LPGA and its members.”
Helen Dettweiler: Even though Helen Dettweiler did not play for very long on the LPGA Tour, she was instrumental in the creation of the LPGA Foundation, serving as its first Vice President after working with fellow LPGA Founders Opal Hill, Helen Hicks, and Patty Berg at Wilson Sporting Goods.
Marlene Bauer Hagge: Sister to fellow LPGA Founder Alice Bauer, Marlene had a very successful junior golf career before joining the LPGA Tour at only 16 years old. She had a long career on the Tour, claiming 26 victories and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002.
Helen Hicks: Helen Hicks made a name for herself on the women’s golf scene with her signature “baseball swing”, her reputation as the “business woman golfer”, and her own line of Wilson golf clubs. Along with Helen Dettweiler, Opal Hill, and Patty Berg, she worked at Wilson Sporting Goods before turning to help get the LPGA off the ground by teaching her co-founders how to conduct golf clinics.
Opal Hill: Opal Hill was a relatively late-bloomer to the game, as she first started playing at 31 years old and helping form the LPGA in her late 50s. She became known as the “matriarch of women’s golf” and became involved in the LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals (now known as the LPGA Professionals) in her native Missouri.
Betty Jameson: Betty Jameson was the player to watch back in the 1940s with her impressive amateur and professional career, winning the 1947 US Women’s Open with a 295 score, the first time a woman scored lower than 300 for a 72-hole tournament. Her low-scoring legacy lives on in the Vare Trophy, which is given to the LPGA Tour Player who holds the lowest average score for each year.
Sally Sessions: Originally a tennis champion, Sally Sessions also found success in golf at the age of 16 after winning both a golf and tennis championship on the same day. She claimed many titles during her amateur and professional careers, but she never won during her short time on the LPGA Tour. During the early days of the LPGA, she served as the association’s first secretary.
Marilynn Smith: Marilynn “Miss Personality” Smith bolstered the newly formed LPGA with her own dash of marketing prowess, and her penchant for spreading the word about upcoming LPGA Tournaments to potential spectators at local sporting events earned her the title of the “LPGA’s Goodwill Ambassador”. She was also known on Tour for her incredible competitive career, spanning nearly 20 years, winning over 20 tournaments, and recording nine top-10 finishes on the LPGA’s money list.
Shirley Spork: In addition to being one of the 13 original LPGA Founders, Shirley Spork was also one of the primary founders of the LPGA’s Teaching Division, the LPGA Professionals, in 1959. She had an impressive competitive career but quickly became known as the LPGA’s resident “trick-shot artist” with her ability to wow the crowds with her golf shots while out on the fairway.
Louise Suggs: Louise Suggs had one of the most impressive golf careers of the 13 LPGA Founders, claiming a staggering 58 LPGA Tour victories in addition to her long list of other amateur and professional golf titles. She has also received numerous golf honors including an induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame, LPGA Hall of Fame, LPGA Professionals Hall of Fame, the Patty Berg Award, Bob Jones Award, William D. Richardson Award, and the Vare Trophy in 1957.
Babe Zaharias: Babe Didrikson-Zaharias was known as “the greatest female athlete in history” having won Olympic gold and silver medals in track and field and the high jump respectively. She tried her hand at basketball, tennis, bowling, billiards, diving, and roller skating, but she made a real name for herself in golf. Her amateur career earned her several wins and when she turned professional just prior to the establishment of the LPGA, she was already well on her way to continuing her rich history of record-breaking success.

The 1960s: Building Momentum

The 1960s

During the “Swinging Sixties”, a decade defined by the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement, the LPGA continued to expand and the recognition of women’s golf was growing rapidly. Players like Mickey Wright and Kathy Whitworth raised the competition standards while the Tour importantly broke the color barrier in 1963, when two-time Wimbledon champion Althea Gibson became the first African American to join the LPGA Tour.

1960: Betsy Rawls secures her fourth U.S. Women’s Open victory
1961 - 1962: Mickey Wright went on to win four consecutive majors
1962: Mickey Wright winning 13 times in a season
1963 & 1964:
- Mickey Wright had 24 wins spanning across the two seasons.
- Marilynn Smith became back-to-back titleholder for two major championships.
1967: Betsy Rawls gets inducted into the inaugural class of the LPGA Hall of Fame.

The 1970s: Breaking Barriers

The 1970s

In the 1970s, corporate America started taking a serious look at the LPGA. Led by CEO David Foster, Colgate sponsored several tournaments including the highly successful Colgate-Dinah Shore Winner’s Circle. Stars like Jan Stephenson, Amy Alcott, Judy Rankin and JoAnne Carner were some of the new personalities rising to the top of the Tour in this decade. And in 1978, a young player named Nancy Lopez came on the scene and would change the trajectory of women’s professional golf.

1970: Donna Caponi won her second consecutive U.S. Women’s Open, becoming only the second player to ever accomplish this milestone
1971: JoAnne Carner wins the U.S. Women’s Open and becomes the first and only woman currently to win Girls Junior, U.S. Women’s Amateur, U.S. Women’s Open
1972: The longest sudden death playoff in history took place where Jo Ann Prentice defeated Sandra Palmer and Kathy Whitworth in 10 playoff holes at the Corpus Christi Civitan Open
1973: Mickey Wright celebrated her final win at the Colgate Dinah Shore
1977: Hisako Higuchi becomes the first asian player to win a golf major, of both men and women
1978: Rookie Nancy Lopez wins the LPGA Championship
1978: Nancy Lopez takes home the Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year and Vare Awards, marking a monumental Rookie season on Tour.

The 1980s: Dominance & Diversity

The 1980s

Nancy Lopez’ ‘girl next door’ persona quickly vaulted her into the spotlight as she dominated much of the 80’s. Other future Hall of Famers that came to prominence in this decade were Pat Bradley, Beth Daniel, Juli Inkster, Betsy King and Patty Sheehan. By the end of the 80s, increased international participation began the women’s global golf renaissance, making the LPGA Tour the place to compete against the best in the world.

1980: Beth Daniel crowned Player of the Year
1981: Kathy Whitworth becomes the first woman to $1 Million career earnings
1982: Ayako Okamato goes on to win first of her career 17 total titles
1984: Juli Inkster wins two majors, du Maurier and Nabisco Dinah Shore
1984: Hollis Stacy secures her third U.S. Women’s Open victory
1985: Kathy Whitworth secures her 88th career win, the highest number of any player in history of professional golf, including the men’s PGA Tour. Six of those victories were major championships.
1986: Pat Bradley wins three of the LPGA Tour's four majors (the du Maurier Classic, Chevron Championship and KPMG Women's PGA Championship), winning her first Player of the Year and Vare Trophy honors that season as well.
1987: Laura Davies wins the U.S. Women’s Open
1988: Amy Alcott jumps into Poppie’s Pond
1989: Between 1984-1989, Betsy King won a total of 20 LPGA events, more wins than any other golfer in the world, male or female, during that time period. After that first win in 1984, King won at least once each of the next 10 years, with a high of six victories in 1989.

The 1990s: Technology & Globalization

The 1990s

In 1990, the LPGA celebrated its 40th Anniversary. As the decade progressed, a handful of young international superstars emerged; Annika Sorenstam (Sweden) , Se Ri Pak (South Korea), Karrie Webb (Australia). American players like Dottie Pepper, Michelle McGann, Meg Mallon and Rosie Jones were also raising the bar with record-setting performances. The LPGA Foundation was formed to build a legacy of giving back and the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program was started to introduce more young girls to the game.

1990: The first ever Solheim Cup was played, and Pat Bradley hit the honorary first tee shot.
1991: Meg Mallon captures wins at two majors in three weeks at both the LPGA Championship and U.S. Women’s Open
1995: Annika Sorenstam wins the U.S. Women’s Open
1998: Se Ri Pak wins the LPGA Championship and U.S. Women’s Open with “The Shot”
1999: Juli Inkster secures her victory at the U.S. Women’s Open

The 2000s: The Power Era

The 2000s

The turn of the millennium drove the rise of fitness-focused athletes and the modernization of sports as a collective. And as the LPGA Tour celebrated its first 50 years, the players of this decade were hard at work making history for the next 50. Annika Sorenstam won 54 (of her 72) tournaments in this decade and became the first LPGA player ever to record a 59. Lorena Ochoa won 27 times between 2004 and 2009, including the 2007 Ricoh Women’s British Open on the Old Course at St. Andrews, where the women played for the first time.

2000: LPGA celebrates their 50th Anniversary
2000 & 2001: Karrie Webb wins two majors
2001: Annika Sorenstam becomes the first woman to shoot a 59
2002: Annika Sorenstam wins 11 times in one season and becomes only the third player that has won 11 or more times in a season
2003: Annika Sorenstam becomes the first woman to compete in a men’s event at the Bank of America Colonial
2003: Patricia Meunier-Lebouc becomes first French LPGA major winner at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
2004: Meg Mallon wins her second U.S. Women’s Open
2006: Introduction of the Rolex Rankings
2007: Lorena Ochoa wins 8 times in the span of the 2007 season
2007 - 2010: Lorena Ochoa holds world number one in the Rolex Rankings for 158 consecutive weeks, the record for most weeks in a row in the top position
2008: Annika Sorenstam retires from professional women’s golf
2009: Catriona Matthew wins AIG Women’s Open right after giving birth

The 2010s: Global Superstars

The 2010s

The LPGA became known as Golf’s Global Tour. Its growing international influence and social impact was evident. Golf was brought back to the Olympics and a trio of top LPGA stars swept the podium: Inbee Park, South Korea (Gold); Lydia Ko, New Zealand (Silver); Shanshan Feng, China (Bronze). Youngsters like Lexi Thompson, Brooke Henderson and Ko were joining veterans such as Michelle Wie, Cristie Kerr, Ai Miyazato, Ariya Jutanugarn and Stacy Lewis - all chasing the coveted World #1 ranking.

2010: Lorena Ochoa retires from professional women’s golf
2010: Jiyai Shin moves to world number one
2010: Cristie Kerr becomes first American to reach world No. 1
2012: Shanshan Feng becomes first Chinese LPGA Tour and major winner
2012: Lydia Ko makes history by winning twice as an amateur and becoming the youngest player to win in LPGA Tour history.
2013: Inbee Park becomes world number one
2013: Stacy Lewis wins AIG Women’s Open
2013: Inbee Park wins 3 majors becoming only the fourth LPGA Tour player to win three majors in a calendar year.
2015: Lydia Ko wins first major at the Amundi Evian Championship
2015: Brittany Lincicome wins second Chevron
2016: Brooke Henderson wins KPMG Women’s PGA Championship
2018: Georgia Hall wins the AIG Women’s Open in her home country
2019: Hinako Shibuno win the AIG Women’s Open as a non LPGA Tour member
2019: Brooke Henderson becomes winningest Canadian golfer in history with victory at Meijer LPGA Classic
2019: Suzann Pettersen retires from the Toue following the Solheim Cup

The 2020s: The Preset & Beyond

The 2020s

The 2020s started with a challenging Covid season but the LPGA came back strong, eclipsing $100 million in total prize money for the first time ever. And in 2025 that total has reached more than $131 million. The best players in the world are competing on the best golf courses in the world. And, led by Nelly Korda, Minjee Lee, Jeeno Thitikul, Ruoning Yin and many others, the best players from around the world continue to post record- breaking performances and set the bar even higher for future generations of champions.

2020: Nelly Korda wins Gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
2022:LPGA Hall of Fame Committee lifts 10-year entry requirement, leading to the induction of 27-time LPGA Tour winner and two-time major champion Lorena Ochoa
2022: Ashleigh Buhai wins the AIG Women’s Open
2023:Celine Boutier wins the Amundi Evian Championship in her home country
2023: Rouning Yin becomes the youngest player to top the Rolex Rankings at 20 years old
2023: Jin Young Ko breaks Lorena Ochoa’s record for most weeks at number one for 159 consecutive weeks
2023: Minjee Lee becomes the third Australian golfer to reach double digit victories, joining fellow Aussie’s Karrie Webb and Jan Stephenson.
2024: Nelly Korda secures her fifth consecutive victory at The Chevron Championship
2024: Angela Stanford's competed in her 98th consecutive major championship
2024: Lydia Ko secures her spot in the LPGA Hall of Fame with her Gold Medal finish at the 2024 Olympics
2024: Nelly Korda wins at The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican to secure her 7th win of the season
2024: Jeeno Thitikul secures a win at the CME Group Tour Championship, winning a historic $4 million purse
2024: The 13 LPGA Founders were inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame

LPGA Decades