Seven LPGA co-founders named for World Golf Hall of Fame

Seven of the original founding members of the LPGA were finally named to the World Golf Hall of Fame. It was announced last year that all 13 of the tour's founding members will be added to the LPGA's hall in an honorary category. It was finally announced on Wednesday, February 22, that the remaining seven will also be joining the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Alice Bauer, Bettye Danoff, Helen Detweiler, Opal Hill, Shirley Spork, Sally Sessions, and Helen Hicks will join the WGHOF in addition to the already exciting members Patty Berg, Marlene Bauer Hagge, Betty Johnson, Louise Suggs, Babe Zaharias, and Marilynn Smith.

LPGA Tour founding members (Image via PGA Tour)

Unfortunately, Shirley Spork died just two weeks after learning that she had enlisted in the World Golf Hall of Fame. Currently, only Marlene Hagge, who was named to the Hall of Fame list, is a living founding member of the LPGA Tour.

On February 22, the World Golf Hall of Fame also released a list of 12 induction finalists, with seven co-founding members collectively making up the final spot. The 12 finalists for induction in 2024 are Padraig Harrington, Tom Weiskopf, Johnny Farrell, Jim Furyk, Dottie Pepper, Cristie Kerr, Sandra Palmer, Beverly Hanson, Peter Dawson, Butch Harmon, and Jay Sigel.

The final selection of the 2024 induction class is yet to be announced. The announcement will be made on March 6, 2023, at the Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in North Carolina.

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The LPGA Tour founding members

The LPGA Tour was founded by 13 golfers in 1950 at the Rolling Hills Country Club in Wichita, Kansas. The first LPGA Tour match was the Tampa Women's Open held in 1950 at the Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club.

The LPGA Tour has been successfully organizing women's golf tournaments for more than seven decades now. Mollie Marcoux Saman is the current commissioner of the tour.

Here is the list of the founding members of the LPGA Tour:

1. Alice Bauer
2. Patty Berg
3. Bettye Danoff
4. Helen Dettweiler
5. Marlene Hagge
6. Helen Hicks
7. Opal Hill
8. Betty Jameson
9. Sally Sessions
10. Marilynn Smith
11. Shirley Spork
12. Louise Suggs
13. Babe Zaharias.

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The LPGA Hall of Fame Members List

• 2022 : Lorena Ochoa
• 2022 : Alice Bauer (honorary)
• 2022 : Bettye Danoff (honorary)
• 2022 : Helen Dettweiler (honorary)
• 2022 : Helen Hicks (honorary)
• 2022 : Opal Hill (honorary)
• 2022 : Sally Sessions (honorary)
• 2022 : Marilynn Smith (honorary)
• 2022 : Shirley Spork (honorary)
• 2016 : Inbee Park
• 2007 : Se Ri Pak
• 2005: Karrie Webb
• 2003 : Annika Sorenstam
• 2002 : Marlene Hagge-x
• 2001 :Donna Caponi-x
• 2000 : Judy Rankin-x
• 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