History of LPGA in Timeline

The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers, headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida. Its primary function is running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments featuring elite women professional golfers globally. The LPGA is the preeminent professional golf tour for women, showcasing top talent and driving the sport's growth.

1944: Founding of the WPGA

In 1944, the Women's Professional Golf Association (WPGA) was founded by Ellen Griffin, Betty Hicks, and Hope Seignious.

1948: WPGA Tour End

In 1948, the Women's Professional Golf Association (WPGA) stopped its limited tour.

December 1949: WPGA Ceases Operations

In December 1949, the Women's Professional Golf Association (WPGA) officially ceased operations.

1950: LPGA Founding

In 1950, the LPGA was founded at Rolling Hills Country Club in Wichita, Kansas, with Patty Berg as its first president, and 12 other founders: 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.

1950: Inaugural LPGA Tournament

In 1950, the first LPGA tournament, the Tampa Women's Open, was held at Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club in Tampa, Florida, with amateur Polly Riley winning.

1951: LPGA Hall of Fame Established

In 1951, the LPGA established the Hall of Fame of Women's Golf with four charter members: Patty Berg, Betty Jameson, Louise Suggs, and Babe Zaharias.

1956: First International LPGA Tournament

In 1956, the LPGA hosted its first tournament outside the United States, the Havana Open, in Havana, Cuba.

1967: LPGA Tour Hall of Fame Relocation

After being inactive for several years, in 1967, the Hall of Fame of Women's Golf moved to its first physical premises in Augusta, Georgia, and was renamed the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame.

1968: PGA Tour Independence

In 1968, the PGA Tour became independent of the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA of America), which focuses on club and teaching professionals.

1968: First Non-U.S. LPGA Tour Card Holder

Sandra Post of Canada became the first player living outside the United States to gain an LPGA tour card in 1968.

1978: Nancy Lopez Wins All Three Awards

In 1978, American golfer Nancy Lopez became the only player to win all three LPGA awards in the same season and was also the Tour's top money earner that season.

1988: Multiple Title Winners

In 1988, Juli Inkster, Rosie Jones, Betsy King, Nancy Lopez, and Ayako Okamoto each won three titles on the LPGA Tour.

1998: LPGA Tour Hall of Fame Merges into World Golf Hall of Fame

In 1998, the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame merged into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

2000: Non-Americans Dominate Major Championships

From 2000 through 2009, non-Americans won 31 of 40 major championships in LPGA.

2001: Establishment of the Women's Senior Golf Tour

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, affiliated with the LPGA but not owned by it.

2006: LPGA Playoffs at The ADT Format

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, plus two wild-card selections for a total of 32 players.

2006: LPGA Season-Ending Championship Tournament Established

Since 2006, the LPGA has played a season-ending championship tournament, initially known as the LPGA Playoffs at The ADT.

2008: LPGA Playoffs at The ADT Format

2008: Decline in LPGA Tournaments

In 2008, there were 34 official LPGA tournaments.

October 2009: Michael Whan Appointed LPGA Commissioner

In October 2009, Michael Whan, a former marketing executive, became the eighth commissioner of the LPGA, succeeding Carolyn Bivens.

2009: Non-Americans Dominate Major Championships

From 2000 through 2009, non-Americans won 31 of 40 major championships in LPGA.

2009: LPGA Tour Championship Name

In 2009, the LPGA season-ending championship tournament was known as the LPGA Tour Championship.

2009: Increased Field for Tour Championship

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.

2009: International Representation on LPGA Tour

In 2009, there were 122 non-Americans from 27 countries on the LPGA 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.

2009: Decrease in LPGA Tournaments

In 2009, there were 28 official LPGA tournaments.

2010: Rule Change Allowing Transgender Competitors

In 2010, following a lawsuit by golfer Lana Lawless, the LPGA changed its rules to allow transgender competitors.

2010: LPGA Tour Championship Name

In 2010, the LPGA season-ending championship tournament was known as the LPGA Tour Championship.

2010: Decline in LPGA Prize Money

In 2010, the total official prize money on the LPGA Tour was $41.4 million, a decrease of over $6 million from 2009, with 24 official tournaments.

2011: CME Group Titleholders

In 2011, the LPGA season-ending event became the CME Group Titleholders, held in November.

2011: First CME Group Titleholders Tournament

The CME Group Titleholders, which resurrects the name of a former LPGA major championship (the Titleholders Championship), was first played in 2011.

2013: CME Group Titleholders Qualification

From 2011 to 2013, the CME Group Titleholders' field was made up of three qualifiers from each official tour event during the season, specifically the top three finishers not previously qualified.

2013: Bobbi Lancaster's Attempt to Play in Cactus Tour

In 2013, trans woman Bobbi Lancaster faced local scorn for attempting to play in Arizona's Cactus Tour, hoping to qualify for the LPGA Qualifying Tournament.

2014: Race to the CME Globe

After 2014, the CME Group Tour Championship field is determined by a season-long points race called the Race to the CME Globe, with points conferred based on tournament type and player placement.

2014: CME Group Tour Championship Name

Since 2014, the LPGA season-ending event has been known as the CME Group Tour Championship.

2014: Last American to Top LPGA Money List

The last time an American player topped the LPGA money list was in 2014, with Stacy Lewis.

2015: Lydia Ko, Race to the CME Globe Champion

Lydia Ko was the Race to the CME Globe champion in 2014 and 2015.

2016: Ariya Jutanugarn, Race to the CME Globe Champion

Ariya Jutanugarn was the Race to the CME Globe champion in 2016 and 2018.

2016: Record-High Prize Money in LPGA

By 2016, the number of LPGA tournaments had risen to 33 with a record-high total prize money in excess of $63 million.

2017: Top 12 Players Eligible for Bonus

From 2014 to 2018, the top 12 players in the Race to the CME Globe were mathematically eligible to win a $1 million bonus, as seen in 2017 and 2018.

2018: Race to the CME Globe Top 72

From 2014 to 2018, the top 72 players in the Race to the CME Globe competed in the CME Group Tour Championship.

2018: LPGA Acquires EWGA

In 2018, the LPGA acquired the Executive Women's Golf Association (EWGA), expanding its focus to include amateur golfers in the U.S. and North America and rebranding it as the LPGA Amateur Golf Association.

2019: New Record for LPGA Prize Money

In 2019, a new record was set with total LPGA prize money amounting to $70.5 million.

2020: LPGA Tournaments Held Outside the US

In 2020, fourteen LPGA tournaments were held outside of the United States, including seven events in Asia, four in Europe, two in Australia, and one in Canada.

2020: Last American to Lead LPGA in Tournament Wins

The last time an American led the LPGA tour in tournaments won was in 2020, with Danielle Kang.

2023: LPGA Founders Inducted into World Golf Hall of Fame

In 2023, the 13 founders of the LPGA were elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame as a group, although six had already been inducted individually.

December 2024: LPGA Publishes New Transgender Policy

In December 2024, the LPGA published a new policy stating that players must be assigned female at birth or have transitioned before male puberty to compete as female in their tournaments.

2024: CME Group Tour Championship Name

As of 2024, the LPGA season-ending event continues to be known as the CME Group Tour Championship.

2024: Top-10 Career Money Leaders Update

As of the 2024 season, the LPGA Tour updated the top-10 career money leaders list based on earnings from the start of their rookie seasons.

2025: LPGA Co-Sanctioned Tournaments

As of 2025, six of the LPGA tournaments held outside North America are co-sanctioned with other professional tours, including the Ladies European Tour co-sanctioning the Women's British Open, The Evian Championship in France, and the Women's Scottish Open, with three others co-sanctioned in Asia.

2025: LPGA's New Transgender Policy Goes Into Effect

In 2025, the LPGA's new policy regarding transgender players goes into effect, requiring players to be assigned female at birth or have transitioned before male puberty to compete as female.