Many people may associate the word golfer with men (typically older men), but golf has become a sport enjoyed by many people, including young people and women, the challenge of individual sports should not be confined to being male or female after all.
The history of golf actually includes a lot of women, with some familiar faces and legends from a bygone era, as well as new, iconic figures that are reshaping the face of the sport and breaking new records.
Read on for the top 10 female golf legends in history.
Note: Champion Peoples is not affiliated with any of the golfers listed below
Annika Sorenstam
Retired Swedish female professional golfer Annika Sörenstam is widely considered as one of the most successful female golfers in history. She won 90 international tournaments and became the female golfer with the most wins. Annika achieved the title of LPGA Tour 72 times which is the third highest of all time and also won the Ladies European Tour 17 times.
She obtained the LPGA Vare Trophy six times, became the LPGA Tour leading Money Winner eight times and was named LPGA Tour Player of the Year eight times. She won 10 LPGA major championships in her active playing career which includes winning Kraft Nabisco C’ship three times, LPGA Championship three times, U.S. Women’s Open three times and the Women’s British Open in 2003. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2003.
Betsy Rawls
Rawls began as an amateur golfer at only 17 years old, making her one of the youngest golfers on the female circuit during the 1950s. After winning amateur championships in Texas, she embarked on a 20-year career that included eight major championships, 10 tour victories in 1959, and 55 LPGA major wins.
Babe Zaharias
Mildred Ella “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias was a trailblazer in the world of golf during the 1940s and early 1950s. However, her prowess extended far beyond the fairways, as she showcased exceptional talents in basketball, baseball, and track and field, epitomizing versatility.
Reclaiming her amateur status in 1942 after dedicating three years solely to golf, Babe embarked on a remarkable journey that saw her secure 48 victories, including 10 major titles. In 1950, she achieved the Grand Slam by conquering the US Open, the Titleholders Championship, and the Women’s Western Open, setting a record by reaching 10 wins faster than any other LPGA golfer.
JoAnne Carner
Born JoAnne Gunderson in Kirkland, Washington, she was known as “The Great Gundy” for her skills as an amateur golfer. From 1956 to 1968, she was the dominant female player in amateur golf. With five U.S. Women’s Amateur titles to her name, she was only second to Glenna Collett Vare.
But Carner’s best performances happened during two of her two U.S. Women’s Open games. During the 1971 Open, she led each round easily, eventually beating Kathy Whitworth by seven shots. In the 1976 Open, has to square off against Sandra Palmer in an 18-hole match. In the end, though, Carner managed to stay on top.
Patty Berg
In 1935, she faced Glenna Collett Vare in the finals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur. In 1980, when Beth Daniel was in her second year as a pro, Berg played for the final time on the LPGA Tour. She is credited with 60 wins by the LPGA. Fifteen of them (the women’s record) were majors — although 14 of those were evenly split between the Titleholders and Western Open, tour tournaments long since defunct.
Nancy Lopez
After finishing second in the 1975 U.S. Women’s Open at the age of 18, Lopez turned professional in 1977, and would remarkably win nine events in her rookie season in 1978. During this year, she would appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated, in addition to winning the Tour’s Rookie and Player of the Year awards.
Lopez would win the LPGA Championship three times, but success in the other majors would elude her, with seven runner-up finishes. In a 25-year career, she would win 48 LPGA Tour titles, while also representing the United States in the inaugural Solheim Cup in 1990.
Kathy Whitworth
Kathy is a former American professional golfer. She held the record as the first woman to win up to $ 1 million on the LPGA Tour in 1981. Her records include a total of six major championships; Seven-time LPGA Player of the Year between 1966 and 1973; award for the best scoring average by a player on the LPGA Tour, a record seven times between 1965 and 1972.
To his credit, Whitworth captained the United States in the inaugural Solheim Cup in 1990 and recorded at least one victory in 17 consecutive years. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1975.
Louise Suggs
A dominant force over the course of three decades, Louise Suggs won 11 major championships — including the Women’s Western Open — and 58 LPGA tours in total. Praised for her consistency, she finished in the top three of the LPGA money list throughout the 1950s and was enshrined in the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Today, Suggs is memorialized through the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year Award, given to the best first-year LPGA player.
Juli Inkster
It’s really difficult to figure out where to place Juli Inkster. Some would argue she’s a lot higher than this because of her longevity, but there are more accomplished champions ahead of her. Anyway, Inkster was a Solheim Cup stalwart who enjoyed remarkable consistency and worked to compete at the highest level beyond any reasonable expectations, both as a player and as a captain.
Inkster won the du Maurier Classic, then a major in 1984, along with her first ANA Inspiration title, which she won again in 1989. She then won the PGA and U.S. Open twice apiece around the turn of the century.
Mickey Wright
As the top female golf player in the world and the ninth greatest golfer overall, Mickey Wright has a lot of achievements under her belt. Her 82 LPGA victories (including 13 major championships) is just a few wins shy of Kathy Whitworth’s.
During the 1964 Tall City Open, Wright managed to shoot a 62 during the final round. As the lowest score in LPGA Tour history back then, this was no mean feat considering even male golfers only managed to reach 66.
