From Babe To Nelly: The Women Who Shaped Professional Golf

In 1950, 13 women sat down and decided to build their own professional tour. The sport hadn't made room for them, so they made room for themselves. Seventy-five years later, that decision pays out over $131 million in prize money every season. 

The story runs from Babe Didrikson Zaharias and Patty Berg to Nelly Korda, Jeeno Thitikul, Michelle Wie West, and the next wave of global stars, and it is one of the most underrated stories in sports history. 

How Did Women’s Professional Golf Begin?

Women’s professional golf began with players who had to build their own stage. 

Babe Didrikson Zaharias Set the Standard

Babe brought rare athletic force to golf. She won 41 LPGA titles, claimed 10 majors, and helped launch the LPGA in 1950. Before that, she entered PGA Tour events in 1945 and made the cut, proving women belonged in the highest competitive conversations.

Patty Berg and Louise Suggs Built the Early Tour

Patty Berg and Louise Suggs gave the LPGA structure, credibility, and star power. Berg still holds the women’s major record with 15 major titles. Suggs became one of the tour’s most consistent early champions and helped move women’s golf from exhibition status into a real profession.

Who Built Modern Women’s Golf?

The next generation gave the LPGA three things it needed: technical excellence, repeatable winning, and wider appeal.

Mickey Wright Made the Swing the Story

Mickey Wright won 82 LPGA titles. The USGA notes that Ben Hogan called her swing the greatest he had seen. 

Kathy Whitworth Became the Winningest Golfer Ever

Kathy Whitworth’s 88 LPGA wins remain unmatched by any professional golfer, male or female. She also became the first LPGA player to pass $1 million in career earnings.

Nancy Lopez Brought New Fans In

Nancy Lopez won nine times as a rookie in 1978. The LPGA says she won her first tournament at the Bent Tree Classic and went on to win eight more that season.

Se Ri Pak Made the LPGA Global

Se Ri Pak joined the LPGA in 1998 and won two majors in her debut season, including the U.S. Women’s Open. Her success helped inspire a wave of South Korean players who changed the depth and identity of the tour.

Which Players Defined the 2000s and 2010s?

The 2000s and 2010s proved women’s golf had multiple generational talents at once. 

Annika Sörenstam Set the Modern Standard

Annika Sörenstam won 72 LPGA titles and 10 majors. She became the model for total dominance, from scoring to fitness to preparation.

Karrie Webb Sustained Excellence

Karrie Webb won 41 LPGA titles and 10 majors. She also completed the Super Career Grand Slam, one of golf’s rarest achievements.

Inbee Park Mastered Precision

Inbee Park won 21 LPGA titles, including seven majors, with a game built on putting and control. 

But no player from this era captured public imagination quite like Michelle Wie West, who began rewriting expectations before she was old enough to drive. 

Michelle Wie West Redefined What Was Possible

Michelle Wie West changed what young female golfers thought was possible. At age 10, she became the youngest player to qualify for the USGA Women’s Amateur Public Links. At 14, she shot 68 at the 2004 Sony Open, the lowest round by a woman in PGA Tour history.

Her career included five LPGA wins and the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open. In 2026, she committed to WTGL, a new women's team golf league scheduled to launch in the winter of 2026 to 2027, designed to bring a team-based format to professional women's golf.

She absorbed huge attention as a teenager, competed against men more often than any woman of her era, and later used her voice to push women’s golf toward better visibility. 

Who Defines Women’s Golf in 2026?

Nelly Korda and Jeeno Thitikul sit at the center of the current era. 

Nelly Korda Leads the Current Rankings

Nelly Korda won Olympic gold in 2021 and added seven LPGA wins in 2024. Her five straight wins tied the LPGA record, and her seventh win made her the first American since Beth Daniel in 1990 to win seven times in a season.

Jeeno Thitikul Rewrote the Scoring Record

Jeeno Thitikul reclaimed world No. 1 in 2025 and later set a new LPGA single-season scoring average record at 68.681, passing Annika Sörenstam’s 2002 mark.

How Big is the Pay Gap in Women’s Golf?

The LPGA has made real financial progress, but the gap with men’s golf still runs wide. 

The viewership argument explains part of the gap. The 2025 Travelers Championship final round averaged 3.519 million viewers and peaked at 5.4 million. The 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA final round drew 428,000 viewers.

But distribution matters too. Sportico reported that network broadcasts of LPGA events drew 450% more viewership than cable-only broadcasts. That gap is narrowing. The LPGA has secured stronger broadcast deals in recent years, and viewership trends suggest the audience grows significantly when events are given proper prime-time exposure. 

Why Do These Women Matter Beyond Golf?

These players changed who sees golf as a place for them. The National Golf Foundation reported that women and girls reached nearly 7.9 million on-course golfers in 2024, an all-time high, and accounted for about 60% of net green-grass golfer growth since 2019.

Junior golf points in the same direction. NGF data shows just under 4 million juniors played on-course golf in 2025, with girls making up 35% of junior golfers, compared with 15% in 2000.

Final Thoughts

From Babe's foundation to Nelly's current No. 1 ranking, each era has measurably raised the standard. Prize money has grown from near zero in 1950 to over $131 million in 2025. The share of women and girls playing golf has hit an all-time high. Junior participation among girls has more than doubled since 2000. The pay gap with men's golf remains significant, but the trajectory is clear, and the momentum is real. Women's golf has never had more talent, more global reach, or more cultural force, and the numbers back that up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was the first woman to play in a PGA Tour event? 

Babe Didrikson Zaharias became the first woman to make the cut in a PGA Tour event in 1945, years before the LPGA was even officially founded.

Who has won the most LPGA titles in history? 

Kathy Whitworth holds the record with 88 LPGA Tour wins, more than any professional golfer, male or female, in history.

Who is the current world No. 1 in women's golf? 

As of 2026, Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand holds the world No. 1 ranking, having reclaimed the top spot in 2025 after breaking Annika Sörenstam's all-time LPGA scoring average record.

What did Nelly Korda achieve in 2024? 

Nelly Korda won seven LPGA events in 2024, including five consecutive victories, tying the record for the longest winning streak in LPGA Tour history and becoming the first American to win seven times in a single season since 1990.

Why is Se Ri Pak considered so important to women's golf? 

Se Ri Pak's 1998 U.S. Women's Open victory inspired a generation of South Korean golfers to turn professional, fundamentally transforming the LPGA into the globally diverse tour it is today.

How much has LPGA prize money grown in recent years? 

LPGA prize money increased by approximately 90% between 2021 and 2025, reaching over $131 million across 35 events, with the U.S. Women's Open alone reaching a record $12 million purse in 2025.

Is there still a pay gap between the LPGA and PGA Tour? 

Yes, and it remains significant. In 2025, the LPGA's top earner took home $7.5M while the PGA Tour's top earner made over $50M. However, the gap is narrowing as sponsors increase investment and major purses continue to grow.

Who are the rising stars to watch in women's golf right now? 

Beyond Korda and Thitikul, players like Lydia Ko, Ruoning Yin, Lilia Vu, and Lottie Woad are among the most exciting names shaping the current era of women's golf.