LPGA facts for kids
Logo introduced in October 2007
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| Sport | Golf |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1950 |
| Founder | 13 original LPGA players |
| Commissioner | Craig Kessler |
| Country |  United States, with events in other countries around the world |
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American sports group for women golfers. Its headquarters are at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida. The group runs the famous LPGA Tour. This tour is a series of weekly golf contests for top pro players from all over the world. It gives skilled athletes a chance to compete at the highest level of American golf. Today, it stands as the longest-running women's professional sports group in the country.
Contents
History of the Ladies Professional Golf Association
The story of the LPGA began in the middle of the twentieth century. Before this league existed, another group called the Women's Professional Golf Association held smaller contests. That earlier group was created by Ellen Griffin, Betty Hicks, and Hope Seignious. However, it closed down at the end of 1949. The players still needed an organized tour to show their skills and earn prize money.
The Thirteen Founders Who Started the Tour
In 1950, a group of thirteen determined women joined together to form the LPGA. Five of them signed the legal papers in New York. These women were Patty Berg, Helen Dettweiler, Sally Sessions, Betty Jameson, and Helen Hicks. Eight more golfers joined an important planning meeting held at a country club in Kansas. These athletes were Alice Bauer, Marlene Hagge, Bettye Danoff, Opal Hill, Marilynn Smith, Shirley Spork, Louise Suggs, and Babe Zaharias.
Together, these thirteen players became known as the founders of the LPGA. Patty Berg was chosen as the very first president. In 2023, all thirteen founders were welcomed together into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Several of them had already entered the hall individually for their amazing play.
The First Tournaments and Growth
The very first LPGA contest was the 1950 Tampa Women's Open in Florida. In a surprising finish, an amateur named Polly Riley beat all the professionals to win. Six years later, the group expanded beyond the United States. In 1956, they hosted their first international event at the Havana Open in Havana, Cuba.
Over time, new leaders helped the group grow into a global powerhouse. Michael Whan served as an important commissioner who guided the sport through major financial growth. The organization also created ways for new players to join through an annual qualifying school. They run the Epson Tour as a training ground where rising stars can earn promotion to the main events. Senior players who are 45 and older can compete on the Legends Tour, which was founded by Jane Blalock. In addition, regular amateur players can join the LPGA Amateur Golf Association across North America.
How the LPGA Tour Works Today
The LPGA Tour features dozens of weekly tournaments held on world-class golf courses. Most events take place in the United States, but many are held across Europe, Asia, Australia, and Canada. Unlike men's professional golf tours run by the PGA Tour and the Professional Golfers' Association of America, the LPGA teaches golf and runs pro events under one roof.
The Five Major Championships of Women's Golf
In professional golf, the hardest and most famous contests are called majors. Winning a major title is the greatest honor a player can achieve. The LPGA has five major tournaments each year:
- The Chevron Championship
- The U.S. Women's Open
- The Women's PGA Championship
- The Women's British Open
- The Evian Championship
Three of these majors held across Europe are shared with the Ladies European Tour. Other international events like the Blue Bay LPGA, Buick LPGA Shanghai, and the Toto Japan Classic are held alongside Asian sports tours.
Season Playoffs and the CME Globe
At the end of each season, the best players qualify for a special championship tournament. Since 2014, this finale has been known as the CME Group Tour Championship. To get into this final event, golfers collect points all season long. In earlier years, it was known as the ADT Championship and the CME Group Titleholders. The winner takes home one of the biggest cash prizes in all of women's sports.
Global Stars of the Game
For several decades, American golfers won most of the tournaments on the tour. That started to change in 1968 when Sandra Post from Canada earned her playing card. She proved that international players could succeed at the highest level.
International Champions and Legends
Today, women from dozens of countries compete against each other every week. Pak Se-ri won major events in the late 1990s and inspired a huge wave of talent from South Korea. Soon after, superstar Annika Sörenstam from Sweden dominated the tour, winning dozens of events and eight Player of the Year awards. Other great stars from across the globe include Karrie Webb of Australia, Lorena Ochoa of Mexico, and Yani Tseng of Taiwan.
American stars have also left huge marks on golf history. Kathy Whitworth won 88 tournaments during her career, which is the all-time record. Nancy Lopez became a sports superstar in 1978 when she won nine events in a single year. More recently, American stars like Stacy Lewis, Lexi Thompson, and Nelly Korda have won major titles. Other top champions include Lydia Ko of New Zealand and Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand.
Annual Awards in Women's Professional Golf
Every year, the LPGA hands out prestigious trophies to its top performers based on their scores:
- The Player of the Year goes to the golfer who earns the most ranking points during the season.
- The Vare Trophy, named after champion Glenna Collett-Vare, goes to the golfer with the lowest scoring average.
- The Louise Suggs Rookie of the Year Award honors the best first-year player on tour. It is named after founder Louise Suggs.
In 1978, Nancy Lopez made history by winning all three of these awards in the very same season.
Images for kids
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Kristy McPherson during a practice round at the 2009 LPGA Championship at Bulle Rock Golf Course in Maryland.
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See also
- Chronological list of LPGA major golf champions
- 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 major golf championships
- Women's World Golf Rankings
- LPGA International
- Women's sports in the United States
