Nina Caldwell
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organisation for elite female golfers, founded in 1950. It is the oldest continuing women's professional sports organisation in the United States. The LPGA runs the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite women golfers from around the world. The LPGA Tour is the most prestigious of its kind, and the organisation also runs the Epson Tour, formerly the Futures Tour, which acts as the official developmental tour for the LPGA. The LPGA has over 15,500 members of all abilities and is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Full Form | LPGA = Ladies Professional Golf Association |
| Year of Founding | 1950 |
| Headquarters | LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida |
| Number of Members | 15,500+ members |
| Chapters | 130+ global chapters |
| Hall of Fame | Established in 1967 |
| Hall of Fame Members | Patty Berg, Betty Jameson, Louise Suggs, and Babe Zaharias |
| Top Golfers | Karrie Webb, Minjee Lee, Yealimi Noh, Nelly Korda, Se Ri Pak |
| Tournaments | Dow Championship, KPMG Women's PGA Championship, Chevron Championship, U.S. Women's Open, Honda LPGA Thailand, Founders Cup |
| Awards | Louise Suggs Award |
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What You'll Learn
LPGA Tour
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organisation for female golfers. It was founded in 1950 and is headquartered at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida. The LPGA is the oldest continuing women's professional sports organisation in the United States.
The LPGA is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite women professional golfers from around the world. The first LPGA tournament was the 1950 Tampa Women's Open, held at Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club in Tampa, Florida. In 1956, the LPGA hosted its first tournament outside the United States at the Havana Open in Havana, Cuba. Since 2006, the LPGA has played a season-ending championship tournament. The LPGA also owns and operates the Epson Tour, formerly the Futures Tour, the official developmental tour of the LPGA. Top finishers at the end of each season on that tour receive playing privileges on the main LPGA Tour for the following year.
The LPGA Tour has a points system in place, with 150 points for first place, 80 for second, 75 for third, 70 for fourth, and 65 for fifth. Points are doubled in major events and at the season-ending Tour Championship. Rookies who make the cut in an event and finish below 41st each receive five points.
In 2024, the LPGA published a new policy that states that, to compete as female in their tournaments, players must either be assigned female at birth or have transitioned to female before undergoing male puberty. This policy went into effect in 2025. The LPGA has also expanded its emphasis to include amateur golfers in the U.S. and North America.
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LPGA points system
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organisation for female golfers. It is headquartered in Florida and runs the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite women golfers worldwide. The LPGA also owns and operates the Epson Tour, the official developmental tour of the LPGA. Top finishers at the end of each season receive playing privileges on the LPGA Tour for the following year.
The LPGA also has its own Hall of Fame, separate from the World Golf Hall of Fame. To become an LPGA Hall of Famer, a golfer must accumulate 27 points. A victory in an LPGA major is worth 2 points, while a win in a non-major LPGA Tour event, the Vare Trophy, Player of the Year award, or an Olympic gold medal in golf is worth 1 point.
In addition to the points system for the LPGA Hall of Fame, the LPGA also uses a points system for its Player of the Year Award. Players are awarded points for top-10 finishes, with a victory earning 30 points and a 10th-place finish receiving 1 point. Points are doubled at the majors. The LPGA Player of the Year Award was introduced in 1966, and by 1973, Kathy Whitworth had won it seven times.
In 2021, the LPGA switched from using a money list to CME points to determine player status. The CME points list is used to determine eligibility for various tournaments and LPGA cards. For example, the top 80 players on the CME points list fall into Category 1 of the LPGA Priority List, which is used to fill limited-field events at the start of the year. The top 100 positions on the CME list are considered full cardholders.
The CME Group Tour Championship, which was first played in 2011, is also determined by a season-long points race, the Race to the CME Globe. Points are awarded to players based on their performance in tournaments, with points doubled in major events. The top finishers in the Race to the CME Globe compete in the CME Group Tour Championship, with the top players mathematically eligible to win a bonus prize.
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LPGA Hall of Fame
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Hall of Fame recognises the achievements of the most successful players in the history of the women's game. It was established in 1967, though its roots can be traced back to the Hall of Fame of Women's Golf, which was founded in 1950 at the Augusta (Ga.) Country Club.
When the LPGA introduced its own Hall of Fame, six players were inducted: Patty Berg, Betty Jameson, Louise Suggs, Babe Didrikson (or Babe) Zaharias, Betsy Rawls, and Mickey Wright. These players were already members of the Hall of Fame of Women's Golf, and their induction year into that Hall of Fame was recognised as their induction year into the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame.
Over the years, the criteria for induction into the LPGA Hall of Fame have changed. Initially, players needed to accumulate 35 points, but this was reduced to 27 in 1999. One point is awarded for each LPGA official tournament win, an Olympic gold medal, and winning the Vare Trophy (lowest scoring average for a season) or being named Rolex Player of the Year. Two points are awarded for each major victory. In addition to the 27 points, players must have won or been awarded at least one of the following: an LPGA major, the Vare Trophy, or Rolex Player of the Year honours.
In 2022, the LPGA inducted eight of its 13 founders who weren't already in the Hall of Fame, including Shirley Spork, into an Honorary Category. This same year, the stipulation that players needed to be members of the LPGA Tour for a minimum of 10 years was lifted, allowing for the induction of Mexican superstar Lorena Ochoa.
Some of the notable inductees into the LPGA Hall of Fame include Kathy Whitworth, who leads the way for all of golf with 88 titles; Patty Berg, who won 60 LPGA titles over her career, including 15 majors; Louise Suggs, who won 61 times on the LPGA, with 11 of those titles being majors; and Mickey Wright, who has 82 LPGA titles to her name.
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LPGA and transgender inclusion
The LPGA has updated its gender policy for competition eligibility, barring transgender women who have gone through male puberty from competing in elite women's golf tournaments. The new policy, which comes into effect in 2025, requires transgender golfers to prove they have not experienced any part of male puberty beyond the first stage or after age 12, whichever comes first, and to meet specified testosterone requirements. The LPGA's statement outlines its commitment to providing an inclusive environment for the broader LPGA community while upholding the fairness and integrity of elite competitions.
The updated policy has been driven by a desire to ensure competitive fairness, with the LPGA citing advice from experts in medicine, science, sport physiology, and golf performance, who assert that exposure to male puberty confers physical advantages in golf performance. This decision aligns the LPGA with other sports governing bodies, such as swimming and athletics, which have implemented similar policies.
The new eligibility rules have sparked controversy, with critics arguing that the LPGA's previous policy, which allowed transgender women to compete if they had undergone gender-affirming surgery after puberty and met hormone therapy requirements, provided an unfair advantage to athletes who had been assigned male at birth. In response to the updated policy, Scottish-born American Hailey Davidson, a transgender woman who previously competed in men's college golf, expressed disappointment, stating that the ban from the Epson and LPGA tours was a consequence of silence and neutrality on the issue.
The LPGA's updated transgender policy has been characterized as a science-based and inclusive approach, aiming to balance inclusivity with competitive equity. The policy underscores the organization's commitment to ensuring that all feel welcome while maintaining fairness in elite competitions. The eligibility rules for transgender athletes in the LPGA have evolved to address the complex issue of competitive fairness, taking into account the latest scientific and medical research on the performance differences between biological sexes.
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LPGA's global reach
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organisation for elite female golfers. It is the oldest continuing women's professional sports organisation in the United States, founded in 1950 by 13 pioneering women golfers: 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. Patty Berg was the LPGA's first president.
The LPGA Tour, and its membership of 1,700 LPGA Professionals, comprise the backbone of what has become the premier women's professional sports organisation in the world. The LPGA maintains a strong focus on charity through its tournaments, along with grassroots junior and women's programs, including LPGA*USGA Girls Golf and the LPGA Foundation. The LPGA Foundation was established in 1991 and is committed to empowering and inspiring girls and women through the game of golf. It administers several scholarship programs for young women who enjoy golf and plan to attend college.
The LPGA also owns and operates the Epson Tour, formerly the Futures Tour, the official developmental tour of the LPGA. Top finishers at the end of each season on that tour receive playing privileges on the main LPGA Tour for the following year. The LPGA Tour is a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite women golfers from around the world. In 2009, there were 122 non-Americans from 27 countries on the tour, including 47 from South Korea, 14 from Sweden, 10 from Australia, and eight from the United Kingdom.
The LPGA is headquartered at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour. Other "LPGAs" exist in other countries, each with a geographical designation in its name, but the U.S. organisation is the first, largest, and most prestigious. The LPGA has grown from its roots as a playing tour into a nonprofit organisation involved in every facet of golf.
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Frequently asked questions
LPGA stands for Ladies Professional Golf Association.
The LPGA is an American organisation for female golfers, running a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite women golfers from around the world. It was founded in 1950 and is the oldest continuing women's professional sports organisation in the United States.
Notable LPGA golfers include Karrie Webb, Minjee Lee, Yealimi Noh, Nelly Korda, Michael Whan, Se Ri Pak, and Nancy Lopez.
To become an LPGA golfer, you must participate in the LPGA Qualifying Tournament. Depending on your finish, you may receive full or partial playing privileges on the LPGA Tour.
