As its name suggests, the LPGA Hall of Fame recognises the achievements of some of the most successful players in the history of the women’s game.
It began in 1967 and originated from the Hall of Fame of Women’s Golf, established in 1950. There were six entrants when the LPGA introduced its own Hall of Fame, and they were all inducted into the new entity.
The eligibility criteria have been tweaked over the ensuing decades, and there are several requirements nowadays.
The first step is to be a member of the LPGA Tour from 1998 or onwards. Those players then need to accumulate 27 points for eligibility. One point is awarded for each win on the LPGA Tour, an Olympic gold medal, and those who win the Vare Trophy or Rolex Player of the Year. Winning an LPGA Major yields two points.
Eligible players must also have won an LPGA Major, the Vare Trophy or Rolex Player of the Year.
There is also an honorary category, and in 2022 it saw the induction of eight of the LPGA founders, including Shirley Spork, who were not already in the LPGA Hall of Fame.
Also in 2022, a previous criterion, which stated players needed to be a member of the LPGA Tour for a minimum of 10 years, was lifted, allowing Lorena Ochoa induction. She had amassed 37 points over eight years before she retired in 2010.
Thanks to the honorary category, singer and actress Dinah Shore was also inducted in 1994. She had been a big supporter of women’s golf and helped found the Colgate Dinah Shore Golf Tournament in 1972, now the Chevron Championship.
There also used to be a Veterans Category, which saw three players, Donna Caponi, Marlene Bauer Hagge and Judy Rankin, inducted by the former Veterans Committee. The three were inducted after the new criteria was introduced in 1999. They had previously been denied entry because the criteria during their playing days was 35 points, but they each met the revised 27-point threshold.
Those were the first inductees for six years after seven-time Major winner Inbee Park in 2016. Before Park, you need to go back a further nine years, to 2007, to find the previous inductee, five-time Major winner Se Ri Pak.
Inbee Park was inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame in 2016
(Image credit: Getty Images)
In total, there are 34 inductees into the LPGA Hall of Fame. Here is the complete list along with the year each was inducted.
LPGA Tour Hall Of Fame Members
- Patty Berg, LPGA Tour, Founder, 1951
- Betty Jameson, LPGA Tour, Founder, 1951
- Louise Suggs, LPGA Tour, Founder, 1951
- Babe…
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