LPGA Major Championship Winners Part 1 (1930 - 1972)

The LPGA holds four major championship tournaments every year. These four tournaments are similar to the men’s in that the format is stroke play and the tournaments are played in four rounds (72 holes). The majority of women’s tournaments are played in three rounds. These four tournaments are the most prestigious in the LPGA.

The Kraft Nabisco The LPGA Championship The U.S. Women’s Open The Women’s British Open

The first women’s major was held in 1930 and was known as “The Women’s Western Open,” this major was replaced by “The Kraft Nabisco Championship” in 1983. The second women’s major was originally held in 1937, as “The Titleholders Championship,” and was replaced by “The du Maurier Classic” in 1979, that tournament was replaced by “The Women’s British Open Championship” in 2001. The third major was initially held in 1946 as “The U.S. Women’s Open Championship,” and the fourth major tournament debuted in 1955 as “The LPGA Championship.”

1930 – 1967: The Women’s Western Open 1968 – 1982: No major tournament to replace the Women’s Western 1983 – Present: The Kraft Nabisco Championship

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1955 – Present: The LPGA Championship

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1946 – Present: The U.S. Women’s Open Championship

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1937 – 1966: The Titleholders Championship 1967 – 1978: No major tournament to replace the Titleholders Championship 1979 – 2000: The du Maurier Classic 2001 – Present: The Women’s British Open

The lowest one day score recorded in an LPGA major championship is 19-under-par, by golfer Dottie Pepper at the 1999 Kraft Nabisco. The lowest aggregate score for 72-holes in a major tournament is 267, and three golfers currently hold the record. Betsy King was the first to achieve the lowest aggregate score at the 1992 LPGA, next was Karen Stupples, at the 2004 Women’s British Open, and then Cristie Kerr shot an aggregate 267 in 2010 at the LPGA Championship.

The term “Grand Slam” is used when a player has won all of golf's major championships in the same calendar year. A Career Grand Slam is winning all four of golf’s major championships at any time during a golfer’s career. In the PGA, five golfers have achieved a Career Grand Slam; Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. Woods and Nicklaus have won each of the four Majors three times.

No Woman has technically achieved a Grand Slam, however, golfer Babe Zaharias won all three majors held in 1950 and Sandra Haynie won both of the majors held in 1974. Six LPGA golfers have achieved a Career Grand Slam; Louise Suggs, Mickey Wright, Pat Bradley, Juli Inkster, Karrie Webb, and Annika Sörenstam. Golfer Karrie Webb has also been given the distinction of being the only golfer to achieve a “Super Careen Grand Slam” because she is the only golfer to have won the following five major championships: Women's Western Open; Kraft Nabisco Championship; LPGA Championship; U.S. Women's Open; Titleholders Championship.

This list documents the LPGA major championship winners from 1930 through 1972. To see a list of the winners from 1973 through 2011, see “LPGA Major Championship Winners Part 2.”

LPGA Major Championship Winners (1930 - 1972)

1972

LPGA Championship: Kathy Ahern  U.S. Women's Open: Susie Berning  Sandra Palmer

1971

LPGA Championship: Kathy Whitworth   U.S. Women's Open: JoAnne Carner 

1970

LPGA Championship: Shirley Englehorn  U.S. Women's Open: Donna Caponi

1969

LPGA Championship: Betsy Rawls  U.S. Women’s Open: Donna Caponi

1968  

LPGA Championship: Sandra Post  U.S. Women’s Open: Susie Berning 

1967 

Women's Western Open: Kathy Whitworth  LPGA Championship: Kathy Whitworth  U.S. Women's Open: Catherine Lacoste 

1966 

Women's Western Open: Mickey Wright  LPGA Championship: Gloria Ehret  U.S. Women's Open: Sandra Spuzich  Titleholders Championship: Kathy Whitworth

1965 

Women's Western Open: Susie Maxwell LPGA Championship: Sandra Haynie  U.S. Women's Open: Carol Mann  Titleholders Championship: Kathy Whitworth

1964 

Women's Western Open: Carol Mann  LPGA Championship: Mary Mills  U.S. Women's Open: Mickey Wright  Titleholders Championship: Marilynn Smith

1963 

Women's Western Open: Mickey Wright LPGA Championship: Mickey Wright  U.S. Women's Open: Mary Mills  Titleholders Championship: Marilynn Smith

1962 

Women's Western Open: Mickey Wright  LPGA Championship: Judy Kimball  U.S. Women's Open: Murle Lindstrom  Titleholders Championship: Mickey Wright

1961 

Women's Western Open: Mary Lena Faulk  LPGA Championship: Mickey Wright  U.S. Women's Open: Mickey Wright  Titleholders Championship: Mickey Wright

1960 

Women's Western Open: Joyce Ziske  LPGA Championship: Mickey Wright  U.S. Women's Open: Betsy Rawls  Titleholders Championship: Fay Crocker

1959 

Women's Western Open: Betsy Rawls  LPGA Championship: Betsy Rawls  U.S. Women's Open: Mickey Wright  Titleholders Championship: Louise Suggs

1958 

Women's Western Open: Patty Berg  LPGA Championship: Mickey Wright  U.S. Women's Open: Mickey Wright  Titleholders Championship: Beverly Hanson

1957 

Women's Western Open: Patty Berg  LPGA Championship: Louise Suggs  U.S. Women's Open: Betsy Rawls  Patty Berg

1956 

Women's Western Open: Beverly Hanson LPGA Championship: Marlene Hagge  U.S. Women's Open: Kathy Cornelius  Titleholders Championship: Louise Suggs

1955 

Women's Western Open: Patty Berg  LPGA Championship: Beverly Hanson   U.S. Women's Open: Fay Crocker  Titleholders Championship: Patty Berg

1954 

Women's Western Open: Betty Jameson U.S. Women's Open:  Babe Zaharias  Louise Suggs

1953 

Women's Western Open: Louise Suggs U.S. Women's Open:  Betsy Rawls  Titleholders Championship: Patty Berg

1952 

Women's Western Open: Betsy Rawls U.S. Women's Open:  Louise Suggs  Titleholders Championship: Babe Zaharias

1951 

Women's Western Open: Patty Berg U.S. Women's Open:  Betsy Rawls  Titleholders Championship: Pat O'Sullivan

1950 

Women's Western Open: Babe Zaharias U.S. Women's Open: Titleholders Championship: Babe Zaharias  Babe Zaharias

1949 

Women's Western Open: Louise Suggs U.S. Women's Open: Louise Suggs  Titleholders Championship: Peggy Kirk

1948 

Women's Western Open: Patty Berg U.S. Women's Open:  Babe Zaharias  Patty Berg

1947 

Women's Western Open: Louise Suggs U.S. Women's Open:  Betty Jameson  Titleholders Championship: Babe Zaharias

1946 

Women's Western Open: Louise Suggs U.S. Women's Open: Patty Titleholders Championship: Berg  Louise Suggs

1945 

Women's Western Open: Babe Zaharias Titleholders Championship: No tournament (World War II)

1944 

Women's Western Open: Babe Zaharias Titleholders Championship: No tournament (World War II)

1943 

Women's Western Open: Patty Berg Titleholders Championship: No tournament (World War II)

1942  

Women's Western Open: Betty Jameson Titleholders Championship: Dorothy Kirby

1941 

Women's Western Open: Patty Berg Titleholders Championship: Dorothy Kirby

1940 

Women's Western Open: Babe Zaharias Titleholders Championship: Helen Hicks

1939 

Women's Western Open: Helen Dettweiler Titleholders Championship: Patty Berg

1938 

Women's Western Open: Bea Barrett Titleholders Championship: Patty Berg

1937 

Women’s Western Open: Helen Hicks Titleholders Championship: Patty Berg

1936 

Women's Western Open: Opal Hill

1935 

Women's Western Open: Opal Hill

1934

Women's Western Open: Marian McDougall

1933 

Women's Western Open: June Beebe 

1932 

Women's Western Open: Jane Weiller

1931 

Women's Western Open: June Beebe

1930 

Women's Western Open: Mrs. Lee Mida

For more information on golf, see the following articles:

Golf ~ A Four Letter Word Ben Hogan's Five Lessons The Modern Fundamentals of Golf Top Ten Female Golfers on the LPGA Career Money List