Getting inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame is a huge achievement for any woman golfer. But the road to getting a spot in it is not quite easy. To be eligible to qualify for the Hall of Fame, a player must have been a member of the LPGA Tour and must threshold a total of 27 points from the eligibility criteria.
To understand, how a member can earn those 27 points to get inducted into the prestigious LPGA Hall of Fame, let’s dig deeper, and look at the eligibility criteria:
- The player must be or have been an LPGA Tour member.
- The player should have won at least one of the LPGA major championships, the accolade of Rolex Player of the Year, or the prestigious Vare Trophy.
- Each LPGA official tournament win gives one point, while, two points are awarded for each LPGA major tournament victory.
- The Player will receive one point for the Vare Trophy or the Rolex Player of the Year award.
- The player is awarded one point for winning an Olympic Gold Medal.
The players can also be inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame in an Honorary category. Earlier, it was known as the veteran category, however, later it was renamed and inducted the players who have covered the 27 points criteria before 1999.
Who Are The Present Members Of The LPGA Hall of Fame?
The establishment of this prestigious honoring institution dates back to 1967. When there was already a Hall of Fame Women’s Golf, the LPGA Tour urged to establish their own Hall of Fame limited to their memberships only. The first class of players included Patty Berg, Betty Jameson, Louise Suggs, and Babe Zaharias of 1951, Betsy Rawls of 1960, and Mickey Wright of 1964.
The current LPGA Hall of Fame Committee comprises LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan, Vicki Goetze-Ackerman, Sandra Haynie, Heather Daly-Donofrio, Karrie Webb, Beth Daniel, Se Ri Pak, Mike Waldron, Leta Lindley, and Kelly Schultz.
Below are the players and their years of induction into the LPGA Hall of Fame:
- 2022 – Lorena Ochoa
- 2022 – Alice Bauer
- 2022 – Bettye Danoff
- 2022 – Helen Dettweiler
- 2022 – Helen Hicks
- 2022 – Opal Hill
- 2022 – Sally Sessions
- 2022 – Marilynn Smith
- 2022 – Shirley Spork
- 2016 – Inbee Park
- 2007 – Se Ri Pak
- 2005 – Karrie Webb
- 2003 – Annika Sorenstam
- 2002 – Marlene Hagge
- 2001 – Donna Caponi
- 2000 – Judy Rankin
- 1999 – Juli Inkster
- 1999 – Beth Daniel
- 1999 – Amy Alcott
- 1995 – Betsy King
- 1994 – Dinah Shore (honorary)
- 1993 – Patty Sheehan
- 1991 – Pat Bradley
- 1987 – Nancy Lopez
- 1982 – JoAnne Carner
- 1977 – Carol Mann
- 1977 – Sandra Haynie
- 1975 – Kathy Whitworth
- 1964 – Mickey Wright
- 1960 – Betsy Rawls
- 1951 – Babe Didrikson Zaharias
- 1951 – Louise Suggs
- 1951 – Betty Jameson
- 1951 – Patty Berg
Lydia Ko, Laura Davies, and Yani Tseng are front runners to be inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame class of 2021. However, there is no update regarding who could be inducted into the honorary category this year. But, fans can hope some stalwarts to be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.
