A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pro", most of whom are teachers/coaches. The professional golfer status is reserved for people who play, rather than teach, golf for a career.
24-639: Juli Inkster (nee Simpson ; June 24, 1960) is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour . With a professional career spanning 29 years to date, Inkster's 31 wins rank her second in wins among all active players on the LPGA Tour; she has over $ 14 million in career earnings. She also has more wins in Solheim Cup matches than any other American, and is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame . Inkster
48-564: A minimum age of 43 and a $ 500,000 purse, with $ 75,000 going to the winner. Around 30,000 people attended over three days. The senior tour paid a fee to the LPGA for permission to involve active LPGA players, but otherwise remained independent. The Women's Senior Golf Tour was the official senior tour of the LPGA in 2001 and was later called the Legends Tour. Initially it grew from two annual events to 11 events by 2013. Sixteen events were held in
72-432: A sudden-death playoff Results not in chronological order before 2019. ^ The Women's British Open replaced the du Maurier Classic as an LPGA major in 2001. ^^ The Evian Championship was added as a major in 2013. CUT = missed the half-way cut. DQ = disqualified NT = no tournament T = tied * Includes match play and other events without a cut. Amateur Professional Professional golfer In golf,
96-508: A victory at the Safeco Classic . She won two major championships in 1984 , her first full LPGA season, and was LPGA Rookie of the Year. She has won 31 tournaments on the LPGA Tour , including seven majors and the career Grand Slam for ladies' golf. As of 2012 she is fifth on the LPGA career money list. Inkster won a tournament in 16 out of 24 seasons from 1983 to 2006, but has never finished at
120-689: Is intended to allow women to prolong their competitive golf careers on the model of the PGA Tour Champions for men. From 1996 to 2000, retired LPGA golfer Jane Blalock worked to organize a new senior golf tour for older and often retired LPGA golfers. After receiving support from 24 other founding members and a 3-year sponsorship program from the Green Bay Chamber of Commerce, The Women's Senior Golf Tour debuted in August 2000 in Green Bay, Wisconsin with
144-459: Is the first significant tournament professional from the People's Republic of China . In various countries, Professional Golfers' Associations (PGAs) serve either or both of these categories of professionals. There are separate LPGAs (Ladies Professional Golf Associations) for women. Under the rules of golf and amateur status, the maximum value of a prize an amateur can accept is £700 or US$ 1000. Before
168-485: Is the only golfer in LPGA Tour history to win two majors in a decade for three consecutive decades by winning three in the 1980s, two in the 1990s, and two in the 2000s. Born and raised in Santa Cruz, California , Simpson graduated from Harbor High School in 1978 and played college golf at nearby San Jose State , where she was an All-American in 1979, 1981, and 1982. She was also All Nor-Cal 1979–1981 and SJSU Athlete of
192-399: Is very difficult for a professional to regain their amateur status; simply agreeing not to take payment for a particular tournament is not enough. A player must apply to the governing body of the sport to have amateur status reinstated. Historically, the distinction between amateur and professional golfers had much to do with social class . In 18th and 19th century Britain, golf was played by
216-462: The 2018 U.S. Senior Women's Open . In 2014, Inkster began a career as a golf commentator for the Golf Channel , gaining experience as both interviewer and analyst. In 2015, she joined Fox Sports to serve as commentator for that network's coverage of USGA events. LPGA Tour playoff record (6–4) Defeated Bradley on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff Defeated Croce on the second hole of
240-473: The 2015 announcement by the United States Golf Association that a U.S. Senior Women's Open would be added from 2018, for competitors aged 50 or over, the eligibility for the tour remained to be for female golfers age 45 and older. The Senior LPGA Championship and the U.S. Senior Women's Open are considered to constitute the senior women's major golf championships . On August 5, 2021,
264-414: The 20th century ( Walter Hagen is sometimes considered to have been the first man to have done so). In the developed world, the class distinction is now almost entirely irrelevant. Golf is affordable at public courses to a large portion of the population, and most golf professionals are from middle-class backgrounds, which are often the same sort of backgrounds as the members of the clubs where they work or
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#1733085970959288-655: The United States team again in the 2017 Solheim Cup set at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club in West Des Moines, Iowa, which the team won 16.5-11.5. On January 31, 2018, it was announced that Inkster would captain the United States team for a third consecutive match in 2019 at Gleneagles. Europe won the match against United States 14.5–13.5. Inkster has won four tournaments in the Legends Tour and finished second in
312-468: The Year in 1981, and is a member of the San Jose State Sports Hall of Fame. From 1980 to 1982, Inkster won three consecutive U.S. Women's Amateurs , her first victory coming three weeks after her marriage to Brian Inkster. She became the first woman since 1934 to win three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles. She was a member of the winning U.S. Curtis Cup team in 1982. She was also a member of
336-474: The amateurism rules. If an amateur accepts a prize of greater than this in a competition covered by the amateurism rules, they forfeit their amateur status, and are therefore by definition a professional golfer. Professional golfers are divided into two main groups, with a limited amount of overlap between them: In the United States, the PGA of America has 31 distinct member classifications for professionals. Many of
360-503: The classifications also have corresponding apprenticeship positions. Legends Tour The Legends of the LPGA , formerly known as the Women's Senior Golf Tour (2000–2005) and the Legends Tour (2006–2021), is a professional golf tour for women aged 45 and older. It is based in the United States and is the official senior tour of the LPGA Tour . The tour was founded in 2000, and
384-461: The distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose said status. A golfer who has lost their amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated; a professional may not play in amateur tournaments unless the Committee is notified, acknowledges and confirms the participation. It
408-475: The first major injury of her career, necessitating surgery in January 2012 to repair nerve and tendon damage in her right elbow. The surgery kept her out of the 2012 season until late June. Inkster was the captain for the United States team in the 2015 Solheim Cup . The United States started the final day down 10–6, but mounted a historic comeback to capture the victory by a final score of 14.5–13.5. Inkster captained
432-510: The first six years of operation between 2001 and 2006. In addition a team event, the annual Handa Cup pitting LPGA Legends players from the United States against LPGA Legends players from the rest of the world, was introduced in 2006. It is The Legends Tour's version of the Solheim Cup . From 2007 to 2013, 45 tournaments were held. In 2017 , the Senior LPGA Championship was inaugurated, intended to take place every year. Despite
456-425: The most recent increase in 2022, the maximum had been £500 or $ 750. The 2022 changes also significantly reduced the scope of competitions in which the prize limit applies. Before that time, the only competitions exempt from prize limits were hole in one contests. The 2022 changes took all competitions in which the player's score on a hole is not the primary goal, such as long drive and putting competitions, outside
480-644: The people they teach the game, and are educated to university level. Leading tournament golfers are very wealthy; upper class in the modern U.S. usage of the term. However, in some developing countries, there is still a class distinction. Typically, golf is restricted to a much smaller and more elite section of society than is the case in countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. Professional golfers from these countries are quite often from poor backgrounds and start their careers as caddies, for example, Ángel Cabrera of Argentina , and Zhang Lian-wei , who
504-500: The rich, for pleasure. The early professionals were working-class men who made a living from the game in a variety of ways: caddying , greenkeeping, clubmaking, and playing challenge matches. When golf arrived in America at the end of the 19th century, it was an elite sport there, too. Early American golf clubs imported their professionals from Britain. It was not possible to make a living solely from playing tournament golf until some way into
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#1733085970959528-508: The top of the money list; her best finishes were second in 1999, and third in both 1986 and 2002. Inkster played on the United States Solheim Cup team in 1992 , 1998 , 2000 , 2002 , 2003 , 2005 , 2007 , 2009 , and 2011 ; she has won a total of 18.5 points, making her the winningest American Solheim Cup player as of 2011. She teamed with Pat Hurst , represented the United States at the 2007 Women's World Cup of Golf . She
552-592: The winning U.S. team at the Espirito Santo Trophy in 1980 and 1982. She won the 1981 California Women's Amateur Championship , was California's 1981 Amateur of the Year, and 1982 Bay Area Athlete of the Year. She won the Broderick Award, (now the Honda Sports Award ) as the nation's best female collegiate golfer in 1982. She turned professional and enjoyed success in her rookie year of 1983 with
576-552: Was voted Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year in 1999 and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2000. She was recognized during the LPGA’s 50th Anniversary in 2000 as one of the LPGA’s top-50 players and teachers. Inkster was a player and assistant captain on the 2011 Solheim Cup team. She was the oldest player and the first playing assistant captain in Solheim Cup history. In late 2011 at age 51, Inkster suffered
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