Women In Golf History

Although there's a great deal of debate about the true origins of the game we call golf

, it's clear that modern golf, being a game played over a course of eighteen holes, definitely hails from Scotland. Women in golf has been a part of sporting history since at least the 16th century. Mary, Queen of Scots, one of the first recorded golfers, coined the word caddy. Mary was so taken by the sport of golf, she commissioned the building of the first golf course at Saint Andrews, a location now known as the traditional cradle of golf. Therefore, one of the first important golfers of any kind was a woman.

While the first recorded female golf tournament occurred in 1811 in Scotland, it took another fifty years for the first women's golf association to be created at Saint Andrews. A couple of decades later, in 1894, women's golf saw its first American tournament in Morristown, New Jersey. A year later, the US Golf Association sanctioned the first US female amateur golf title.

The first famous female golfer was probably Mildred Ella "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias. "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias was also one of the first all-around athletic champions of either gender in modern times. She took two gold medals and one silver in track and field at the Los Angeles 1932 Olympics. She went all-American in baseball. She also excelled in softball, bowling, pool, roller-skating, and water sports.

Babe Zaharias was actually a late-blooming golfer, qualifying and competing for the LA Open, a Professional Golfers' Association tournament for men's golf. In the 1940s, she won the US Women's Amateur, the British Women's Amateur, and several Western Opens for women. Including her amateur and pro championships, Babe won a total of 82 golf tournaments, eventually winning every golf title awarded. She continued to achieve despite the calls by some sports writers for her to "stay at home and pretty herself up" that bounced through the press.

She achieved all this despite dying at the early age of 45. Following her death, Zaharias received the highest US Golf Association honor bestowed, the Bob Jones Award, for distinguished achievement in golf. In 1977, at the creation of the LPGA Hall of Fame, she was one of six initial inductions.

Though female golfers like Louise Suggs and Patricia Berg would gain acclaim in the wake of Babe Zaharias, there would not be a female golfer comparable to Zaharias until the emergence of Nancy Lopez. Lopez became a LPGA tour member in 1977. She went on to win 48 LPGA events. Three of these victories were major championships. Lopez is the only female to win LPGA's Rookie of the Year title, as well as Golfer of the Year.

In 1996, Australian Karrie Ann Webb became the first ever LPGA golfer to earn a million dollars in one season. She has continued, along with other female golfers, to push the boundaries of women in golf and gain even greater achievement. It took until 2007, however, for Saint Andrews club, the birthplace of golf, to host its first professional women's tournament.

by: Bruce Baird

POST COMMENT

Things To Know Before Buying Gym Bags For Women How To Flirt With Women Strip Clubs: Tips For Women Accompanying Their Men All Women Needs To Own Luxury Lingerie Tracksuits For Women Keep You Motivated Advice For Women Considering Breast Implants How To Approach Women - 5 Useful Tips For Making Good Approaches Women Care Hospitals: Where Mothers Are Born Top Womens Summer Dresses What You Should Be Familiar With Talking To Women Upper Body Workout For Girls - Some Excellent Workout Routines For You To Attempt Picking Swimming Wear For Women In Addition To Child Protrusions? Finding Go Swimming Apply To For Women Alongside Infants Protrusions?