40-579: The Mizuho Americas Open is a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour held at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey . It features 120 LPGA players competing alongside 24 top-ranked junior girls on the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Tour. The inaugural tournament took place in 2023, and it has a prize fund of $ 3 million, among the highest on tour for
80-525: A non-major event. The inaugural tournament in June 2023 was won by Rose Zhang , who in her first tournament as a professional defeated Jennifer Kupcho on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff. Zhang became the first player to win in her professional debut on the LPGA Tour since Beverly Hanson in 1951 and the most recent non-member to win in her first LPGA event since Hinako Shibuno in 2019 . Title sponsor
120-406: A point system. Since 1999, LPGA members automatically qualified for World Golf Hall of Fame membership when they meet these three criteria: Before 1999, players had to win 30 tournaments, including two majors; 35 tournaments with one major; or 40 tournaments in all to automatically qualify. At one time, players had to win two different majors to qualify with 30 wins, but this was changed earlier in
160-465: Is Mizuho Financial Group , a Japanese financial services conglomerate. Liberty National Golf Club sits adjacent to Liberty State Park on the Upper New York Bay . It has previously hosted PGA Tour Playoff events and the 2017 Presidents Cup . Source: LPGA Tour The Ladies Professional Golf Association ( LPGA ) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization
200-635: Is different from the PGA Tour , which runs the main professional tours in the U.S. and, since 1968, has been independent of the club and teaching professionals' organization, the Professional Golfers' Association of America (or PGA of America). The LPGA also administers an annual qualifying school similar to that conducted by the PGA Tour. Depending on a golfer's finish in the final qualifying tournament, she may receive full or partial playing privileges on
240-516: Is headquartered at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida , and is best known for running the LPGA Tour , a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite women professional golfers from around the world. Other "LPGAs" exist in other countries, each with a geographical designation in its name, but the U.S. organization is the first, largest, and most prestigious. The LPGA is also an organization for female club and teaching professionals. This
280-725: Is located in Pinehurst, North Carolina , and was originally privately operated by Diamondhead Corp., then owners of the Pinehurst Resort . It opened in September 1974 with an initial class of 13 members. Initially it was a local project, but the PGA of America took over management in 1983 and acquired full ownership in 1986. Two other halls of fame have been merged into the World Golf Hall of Fame. The PGA of America established one in 1940, which
320-411: Is primarily for those golfers whose careers ended before 1980 and includes both amateurs and professionals. The lifetime achievement category remains from the old system. The Hall again revised the criteria in 2020 and now recognize two categories: Competitor and Contributor. A 30-member nominating sub-committee composed of Hall of Fame members, World Golf Foundation Board organizations and members of
360-401: Is supported by a consortium of 26 golf organizations from all over the world. It is moving back to Pinehurst, North Carolina , with the new campus opening in 2024. The Hall of Fame Museum Building was designed by the specialist museum architecture firm E. Verner Johnson and Associates of Boston . They also produced the museum master plan that established the size, mission and qualities of
400-709: The Havana Open in Havana, Cuba. In 2001, Jane Blalock 's JBC Marketing established the Women's Senior Golf Tour, now called the Legends Tour , for women professionals aged 45 and older. This is affiliated with the LPGA, but is not owned by the LPGA. Michael Whan , a former marketing executive in the sporting goods industry, became the eighth commissioner of the LPGA in October 2009, succeeding
440-564: The Women's Australian Open (also co-sanctioned with the ALPG Tour ). The other two co-sanctioned events—the BMW Ladies Championship ( LPGA of Korea Tour ) and Toto Japan Classic ( LPGA of Japan Tour )—are held during the tour's autumn swing to Asia. The LPGA's annual major championships are: Source: Since 2006 , the LPGA has played a season-ending championship tournament. Through
SECTION 10
#1733085031616480-563: The World Golf Hall of Fame as a group in 2023 though six had already been inducted individually. The first LPGA tournament was the 1950 Tampa Women's Open , held at Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club in Tampa, Florida. Ironically, the winner was amateur Polly Riley , who beat the stellar field of professional founders. In 1956, the LPGA hosted its first tournament outside the United States at
520-582: The 1990s. This point system is still used for selection to the LPGA Hall of Fame. However, in March 2022, the ten-year requirement was scrapped, and a point for winning an Olympic gold medal was added to the criteria. Men and women golfers not fully eligible for PGA/Champions Tour ballot or the LPGA Tour point system were eligible for the International ballot if they met the following requirements (beginning with
560-448: The 1996 election): Election requirements: same as PGA Tour ballot. There was also a "lifetime achievement" category through which anyone who had made a major contribution to the organization or promotion of the sport may be selected, for example, Bob Hope . These members were chosen by the Hall of Fame's Board of Directors. Most played golf, in some cases with some competitive success, but it
600-731: The 2008 season, it was known as the LPGA Playoffs at The ADT ; in 2009 and 2010 , it was known as the LPGA Tour Championship . In 2011 , the event became the CME Group Titleholders , held in November; since 2014, it has been known as the CME Group Tour Championship, and that name is used as of 2024 . From 2006 through 2008 the LPGA schedule was divided into two halves, with 15 players from each half qualifying for
640-478: The CME Globe champions include Lydia Ko (2014, 2015), Ariya Jutanugarn (2016, 2018) and Lexi Thompson (2017). In 2010, total official prize money on the LPGA Tour was $ 41.4 million, a decrease of over $ 6 million from 2009 . In 2010 there were 24 official tournaments, down from 28 in 2009 and 34 in 2008. Despite the loss in total tournaments, the number of tournaments hosted outside of the United States in 2010 stayed
680-606: The Championship based on their performance. Two wild-card selections were also included for a final field of 21 players. The winner of the LPGA Tour Championship, which features three days of "playoffs" plus the final championship round, earns $ 1 million. In 2009, the Tour Championship field was increased to 120 players, with entry open to all Tour members in the top 120 on the money list as of three weeks prior to
720-403: The Hall announced that the age requirement would be raised to 50 from 40 years old. In 2020, the age went from 50 to 45. From 1996 to 2013, members were inducted into the Hall of Fame in one of five categories: PGA Tour/Champions Tour, LPGA Tour, International, Lifetime Achievement, and Veterans. Current and former PGA Tour and Champions Tour players were eligible for this ballot if they met
760-627: The Hall of Fame of Women's Golf in 1951, with four charter members: Patty Berg , Betty Jameson , Louise Suggs , and Babe Zaharias . After being inactive for several years, the Hall of Fame moved in 1967 to its first physical premises, in Augusta, Georgia , and was renamed the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame. In 1998 it merged into the World Golf Hall of Fame . The LPGA Tour presents several annual awards. Three are awarded in competitive contests, based on scoring over
800-518: The LPGA Tour. In addition to the main LPGA Tour, 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 is the oldest continuing women's professional sports organization in the United States. It succeeded
840-590: The U.S. and North America. Initially called the LPGA Women Who Play, the amateur organization was rebranded as the LPGA Amateur Golf Association. The LPGA Amateur Golf Association has member-operated chapters throughout North America and the Caribbean. As a United States–based tour, most of the LPGA Tour's events are held in the United States. In 1956, the LPGA hosted its first tournament outside
SECTION 20
#1733085031616880-712: The United States at the Havana Open in Havana, Cuba . In 2020, fourteen tournaments are held outside of the United States, seven events in Asia, four in Europe, two events in Australia, and one in Canada. Five of the tournaments held outside North America are co-sanctioned with other professional tours. The Ladies European Tour co-sanctions the Women's British Open , The Evian Championship in France, and
920-810: The WPGA (Women's Professional Golf Association), which was founded in 1944 but stopped its limited tour after the 1948 season and officially ceased operations in December 1949. The WPGA had been founded by Ellen Griffin , Betty Hicks , and Hope Seignious . The LPGA was founded in 1950 at Rolling Hills Country Club in Wichita, Kansas . Its 13 founders were: 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 served as its first president. The founders were elected to
960-541: The World Golf Hall of Fame. In 1994 the global golf industry established a non-profit making body called the World Golf Foundation to promote the sport, with the creation of an enhanced Hall of Fame as one of its main objectives. Construction at the new site in St. Johns County, Florida began in 1996 and the new facility opened on May 19, 1998, and closed in September, 2023. The new USGA Pinehurst Golf House, now housing
1000-829: The ballots are due in July with the results announced later in the year. New entrants in the Lifetime Achievement and Veteran's categories are announced at irregular intervals. For example, Frank Chirkinian was elected in the Lifetime Achievement category in an emergency election in February 2011, with the vote presumably held because he was then terminally ill with lung cancer ; when it became clear he would not live to attend his induction, he videotaped his acceptance speech in late February, less than two weeks before his death. Unless stated otherwise these men were inducted mainly for their on-course success. The exceptions mostly correspond with
1040-446: The course of the year. American golfer Nancy Lopez , in 1978, is the only player to win all three awards in the same season. Lopez was also the Tour's top money earner that season. 1 The five players with three titles in 1988 were Juli Inkster , Rosie Jones , Betsy King , Nancy Lopez , and Ayako Okamoto . The table below shows the top-10 career money leaders on the LPGA Tour (from
1080-446: The field is determined by a season-long points race, the Race to the CME Globe. Points conferred to players on tour depend on whether the tournament is major or not, and placement. From 2014 to 2018, the top 72 players in the Race to the CME Globe competed in the CME Group Tour Championship, with the top 12 players mathematically eligible to win a $ 1 million bonus in 2017 and 2018. Past Race to
1120-405: The first player living outside the United States to gain an LPGA tour card in 1968 . The non-U.S. contingent is now very large. The last time an American player topped the money list was in 2014 ( Stacy Lewis ), the last time an American led the tour in tournaments won was in 2020 ( Danielle Kang ), and from 2000 through 2009, non-Americans won 31 of 40 major championships. Particularly, one of
1160-445: The following requirements (beginning with 1996 election): Election requirements: Voters voted for up to 30% of the players on the ballot. If a player was named on less than 5% of the ballots for two consecutive years, they were dropped from the ballot. Players not elected could remain on the ballot indefinitely (prior to 2007 the limit was 10 years, from 2007 to 2009 the limit was 15 years). LPGA Tour golfers were eligible through
1200-782: The hall of fame is scheduled to open in 2024. In October 2013, the Hall announced that it was reviewing its selection process and that there would be no induction ceremony in 2014. A new process was announced in March 2014. Starting in 2014, members were inducted into the Hall of Fame in one of four categories: Male Competitor, Female Competitor, Veterans, and Lifetime Achievement categories. Elections are held every other year with induction ceremonies in odd number years beginning in 2015. The process has changed from that used from 1996 to 2013. The minimum qualifications for male and female competitors are: minimum of 40 years old, or five years removed from "active competition" and 15 or more wins on "approved tours" or two "major wins". The veterans category
1240-462: The lifetime achievement category, but not quite. For example, Charlie Sifford was notable as a player but was inducted for lifetime achievement. The first five women on this list were grandfathered in 1998 from the Hall of Fame of Women's Golf, which was founded in 1951, via the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame, which was inaugurated in 1967. The list shows the years when they were originally inducted into
Mizuho Americas Open - Misplaced Pages Continue
1280-399: The media will choose from among the eligible candidates and nominate a total of 10 individuals (four male competitors, four female competitors, and two contributors). A separate 20-member selection committee will then vote on all four ballots. Election to the Hall of Fame will require 75% of the vote and each year's election class is limited to two from each ballot and five total. In 2016,
1320-430: The museum and the surrounding facilities and site. The Hall of Fame Museum features a permanent exhibition and a rolling program of temporary exhibitions. Designed by museum design firm Ralph Appelbaum Associates , the Hall of Fame and exhibition area contains exhibits on the game's history, heritage, and techniques; major players and organizations; golf course design , equipment, and dress. The World Golf Hall of Fame
1360-637: The notable trends seen in the early 21st century in the LPGA is the rise and dominance of Korean golfers. Se Ri Pak 's early success in the LPGA sparked the boom in Korean women golfers on the LPGA Tour. In 2009, there were 122 non-Americans from 27 countries on the tour, including 47 from South Korea, 14 from Sweden , 10 from Australia , eight from the United Kingdom (four from England , three from Scotland and one from Wales ), seven from Canada, five from Taiwan , and four from Japan . The LPGA established
1400-662: The ousted Carolyn Bivens . After a lawsuit filed by golfer Lana Lawless , the rules were changed in 2010 to allow transgender competitors. In 2013, trans woman Bobbi Lancaster faced local scorn for attempting to play in Arizona's Cactus Tour in hopes of getting a spot for the LPGA Qualifying Tournament . In 2018, the LPGA acquired an amateur golf association, the Executive Women's Golf Association (EWGA), and expanded its emphasis to include amateur golfers in
1440-423: The same, as all four lost tournaments had been hosted in the United States. By 2016, the number of tournaments had risen to 33 with a record-high total prize money in excess of $ 63 million. In 2019, a new record was set with total prize money amounting to $ 70.5 million (a rise of over $ 5 million in one year). In its first four decades, the LPGA Tour was dominated by American players. Sandra Post of Canada became
1480-510: The start of the tournament. The total purse was $ 1.5 million with $ 225,000 going to the winner. The CME Group Titleholders , which resurrects the name of a former LPGA major championship (the Titleholders Championship ), was first played in 2011. From 2011 to 2013, its field was made up of three qualifiers from each official tour event during the season, specifically the top three finishers not previously qualified. After 2014,
1520-467: The start of their rookie seasons) as of the 2024 season. Active players on the Tour are shown in bold . World Golf Hall of Fame The World Golf Hall of Fame was, until recently, located at World Golf Village between Jacksonville, Florida and St. Augustine, Florida , in the United States . It is unusual amongst sports halls of fame in that a single site honored both men and women. It
1560-506: Was merged into the Pinehurst Hall in the 1980s. The Hall of Fame of Women's Golf was established by the LPGA in 1951, with four charter members: Patty Berg , Betty Jameson , Louise Suggs , and Babe Zaharias . It was inactive for some years, but in 1967 it moved into its first physical premises, which were in Augusta, Georgia and was renamed the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame. In 1998 it merged into
1600-497: Was not their play alone which won them a place in the Hall of Fame. The last category was created to honor professional or amateur players whose career concluded at least 30 years ago. These members were also chosen by the Hall of Fame's Board of Directors. New members are inducted each year on the Monday before The Players Championship (previous to 2010 in October or November), and by May 2013 there were 146 members. Beginning in 2010,
#615384