Quick 9 - Most influential women in golf
On International Women’s Day we felt that it was only right to take a look at some of the most influential females in the game
Many of the sport’s biggest names have been involved in one way or another in helping the women’s game reach where it is today.
So, we’ve taken a look at just a few of those superstars.
Annika Sorenstam
Perhaps the obvious place to start is with arguably the best female golfer to walk the fairways. Having retired with 93 professional titles and an incredible 10 major championship wins, she really did achieve everything in golf.
She was very much at the head of the game as women’s golf continued to emerge from the shadows and began to become the spectacle that is it today.
Dame Laura Davies
Next is the lady who really sums up what it is to be a British golfing superstar.
Dame Laura Davies has won four major championships and proved that the LPGA Tour could be conquered by non-Americans when she became the first player from overseas to top the LPGA Money list.
Se Ri Pak
Pak was the first Asian female to win a golf major and has since become a huge inspiration to many of those who have followed in her footsteps.
Astonishingly, she won two majors in her rookie season on the LPGA Tour in 1998 and unsurprisingly, there was much more to come.
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007 as the youngest ever inductee, she retired with five major championships and a total of 39 professional wins.
Patty Berg
The American legend still holds the record for the most major championships won by a female golfer with 15 under her belt.
Not only was she hugely successful in an individual capacity but she was also one of the 13 golfers that came together to form the LPGA and became the first president of the organization.
Babe Zaharias
Alongside Berg and 11 other golfing icons, Zaharias was also a founding member of the LPGA.
Unlike many of today’s golfing stars, she was not set on a career in golf from a young age but instead was competing in track and field events in which she won two gold medals at the 1932 Olympics.
Once golf was her focus, she claimed an impressive 10 majors.
Marilynn Smith
Nicknamed “Miss Personality”, Smith was a key founding member of the LPGA and her career outlasted that of all her co-founders.
She won 21 times on the tour, with two majors before going on to become the first female to work one a broadcast of men’s golf.
The remaining co-founders
Of course, the three founders already mentioned were not the only ones involved in the formation of the tour.
The further co-founders were; Louise Suggs, Sally Sessions, Betty Jameson, Opal Hill, Helen Hicks, Shirley Spork, Marlene Beuer Hage, Helen Dettweiner, Alice Beuer and Bettye Dannoff.
All of these women played their part in creating one of the most successful golf tours in the game.
Michelle Wie
The American burst onto the scene as a teenager and turned professional when she was just 15.
She has become an icon for the modern game and has helped the female game to move forward in terms of publicity and sponsorship as well as on the course.
With one major to her name, the 29-year-old has plenty more to offer in the women’s game if she can stay injury free.
Judy Rankin
Having turned professional in 1962, the American enjoyed a successful career on the LPGA Tour winning 26 times.
She has been a fantastic ambassador for the sport and still spends a lot of her time around the game as she is now an analyst for Golf Channel.