Who are the best female golfers of all time?
Read on to find out who the top golfing women are.
Modern Golf dates back to the 15th century in Scotland, where many believe the sports originated. It is a game rooted in rich history and tradition and has been graced by many legendary male and female players.
As an individual sport, a player’s achievement is measured by many factors such as how long the player dominated her era, influence on the history of the game, and probably, demeanor.
With the above factors in mind, we will rank the best female golfers of all time.
The Best Female Golfers – Golfing Women of All-Time
Kathy Whitworth
- Professional/Tour Wins: 98
- LPGA Major Wins: 6
Kathy is a former American female professional golfer. She held the record as the first woman to earn up to $1 million on the LPGA Tour in 1981. Her records include a total of six significant championships; LPGA Player of the Year seven times between 1966 and 1973; award for the best scoring average by an LPGA Tour Player a record seven times between 1965 and 1972.
To her credit, Whitworth captained the USA in the inaugural Solheim Cup in 1990 and recorded at least one victory in 17 consecutive years. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1975.
Mickey Wright
- Professional/Tour Wins: 90
- LPGA Major Wins: 13
Mickey Wright is an American former golfer who joined the LPGA Tour in 1955. She is renowned for her brilliant accomplishment over her 15-year success-laden career. Mickey won an incredible 13 significant titles and 82 LPGA Tour events, just some records behind Whitworth. She is the only female golf player who simultaneously held every one of the four notable titles.
Annika Sörenstam
- Professional/Tour Wins: 93
- LPGA Major Wins: 10
Annika Sörenstam is one of the most successful Swedish golfing women of all time. She was the first to cross the $20 million career earnings. She is considered as the female golfer who led the female players into their huge financial earnings era. Despite not competing since 2008, her earnings are over $2 million more than her closest competitor.
Apart from the financial breakthrough she brought to the sport, she still holds the record for her eight-time player of the year award. She is also decorated with 10 LPGA major championships in her active playing career. In 2003, she got inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Patty Berg
- Professional/Tour Wins: 63
- LPGA Major Wins: 15
Patty Berg is an American professional golfer renowned for being a founding member and a former leading player on the LPGA Tour in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. In her outstanding career, she bagged 15 major championships, 60 victories on the LPGA Tour. She influenced the establishment of the tour in 1948 and became its first President. Over 16000 golf clinics had been under her tutelage. She is also remembered for introducing hundreds of thousands of new players to the game.
Louise Suggs
- Professional/Tour Wins: 61
- LPGA Major Wins: 11
Louise Suggs is arguable the best female golf player from the 1940s and 1950s. She turned pro in 1948 and won 58 professional tournaments with 11 majors to cap it off! She was one of the monsters from the long early stretches of the LPGA. From 1950 to 1960, Louise only missed out from the top 3 female golf earners. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1979.
Betsy Rawls
- Professional/Tour Wins: 58
- LPGA Major Wins: 8
In the game of Golf, Betsy Rawls is one of the most respected women. She shares the record for most U.S Women’s Opens with Wright. In terms of career victories, she has 55 to her name, ranking only behind Kathy Whitworth, Mickey Wright, and Patty Berg. She was loved for her professionalism at every level of the game. She was presented with the Bob Jones Award in 1996 for her distinguished service.
Babe Zaharias
- Professional/Tour Wins: 48
- LPGA Major Wins: 10
Babe is unarguably the most multi-talented female golfer that has graced the game. From winning an Olympic gold medal in track and field event to becoming a talismanic basketball player in College, Babe was a delight to behold in her prime. In Golf, she had 41 professional tournament wins, ten majors from 1940-1955 in 82 tournaments.
In college, she represented her Basketball team in many games that many presumed she would end up as a Basketball ball. But Babe defied the wishes of her teammates and took up Golf. Her ability to switch from one sport to another is very remarkable. Hence, she is respected and renowned as one of the greatest female golfers of all time.
Karrie Webb
- Professional/Tour Wins: 57
- LPGA Major Wins: 7
Karrie Ann Webb is regarded as one of the best female golfers of all time. In Australia, she is the most successful female professional golfer. In terms of grand slam won, Webb won all five Majors during her playing career. She also bagged the British Open twice. In 1995 and 1997, before it replaced the du Maurier as a Major. With her 41 LPGA Tour victories, she is placed at the same level as Babe Zaharia. Her place is cemented in history as the most career LPGA tournament wins and first among all active players.
Nancy Lopez
- Professional/Tour Wins: 52
- LPGA Major Wins: 3
Nancy started making waves from her amateur career. She came to the limelight during the LPGA Tour in 1978 and never relented. She won 9 titles in her early career, including five consecutive tournaments, which made her stand out among her peers. The following year, she won a record eight times, 52 in career total, to carve her name on the stone of time.
Her three significant championships were all won in the LPGA Championship, in 1978, 1985, and 1989. Lopez remains the only woman to win LPGA Rookie of the Year, Vare Trophy, and Player of the Year awards in one season (1978).
Juli Inkster
- Professional/Tour Wins: 45
- LPGA Major Wins: 7
Juli Inkster had a career spanning over 28 years. She was widely revered for her longevity in the game of Golf. With the accumulation of a record 31 wins, she ranks second in total wins among all active players on the LPGA Tour. Her over $13 million career earrings speak volumes of her illustrious career.
She also had more wins in Solheim Cup matches than any other American and is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Inkster’s accomplishments as a novice alone are enough to give her a place in the World Golf Hall of Fame. Inkster was dominant in the 1980s, winning multiple times in 1986 and gathering her second Dinah Shore title in 1989.
Greatest Female Golfers Honorable Mentions
Of course, our list will not be complete without mentioning these top golfing women:
- JoAnne Carner
- Sandra Haynie
- Patty Sheehan
- Betsy King
- Pat Bradley
- Juli Inkster
- Amy Alcott
- Laura Davies
- Se Ri Pak
- Lorena Ochoa
There you have it, our list of the top female golfers ever. Do well to share your views in the comments section below.