Every sport has to be ruled and governed so that the players can play within the rules described and even players can play with stable mindset. LPGA (Ladies Professional Golfers’ Association) – the governing body of Women’s Golf does exactly what the PGA does for the men’s golf. Let us have some inside look at what LPGA exactly does.
LPGA – the Governing Body of Women’s Golf
As we have mentioned in the introductory paragraph, LPGA takes care of women’s golf played around the world. It was founded in 1950 by 13 original LPGA players and in the same year its inaugural season was also played. Most of the professional tournaments in the United States of America for women are affiliated with the LPGA. Many important tournaments played in Asia, Europe, Australia and the rest of the North America is also part of the LPGA. Kathy Whitworth is the most successful LPGA player who have won not less than 88 LPGA tournaments.
Brief History about how LPGA was founded
In the year 1944 Women’s Professional Golf Association or WPGA was founded, but it was limited to few tours only and was stopped organizing tours after 1948. Hence in the year 1950, two years after the WPGA was stopped, a group of 13 professional ladies group decided to establish a new golf tour for the ladies professional golfers and named the tour as the LPGA. These 13 ladies were Babe Zaharias, Shirley Spork, Louise Suggs, Sally Sesions, Marilynn Smith, Opal Hill, Betty Jameson, Marlene Bauer Hagge, Helen Hicks, Bettye Danoff, Helen Dettweiler, Petty Berg and Alice Bauer.
The Current Scenario of LPGA
The LPGA is not as settled as the PGA is and the best example about it is that the prize money was decreased over US$ 6 million in 2010 and also not less than 4 tournaments were also reduced from 28 to 24 in the same year. But there is no instant threat to the LPGA and the tournaments as of now as many tournaments under its banner is still played in Canada, Singapore, England, France, South Korea, Malaysia, Japan and Thailand. There are some unofficial LPGA tournaments also played in Brazil and Jamaica. Some of the additional venues like Ireland, China and Taiwan were also added in the recent years.
A new ‘Legends Tour’ has also stared in 2001 for the players above the age of 45 although it is not owned by the LPGA but it has given its affiliation at the same point of time.
