Tag: lpga tour

Bob’s top 10 women golfers of all time – #1

Annika Sorenstam

 

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Annika Sorenstam—The Swedish superstar is our number one female golfer of all-time. She came to the U.S. to play college golf at the University of Arizona and it was quite clear as to her immense talent. She won the NCAA Championship as a freshman a feat never accomplished before or since.

Annika turned professional after two years at Arizona and promptly went out and won the 1995 U.S. Open as her first tour win. She amassed 72 LPGA tour wins including 10 majors.  She is the first woman to surpass 20 million in prize money and has been voted LPGA player of the year a record 8 times.. Sorenstam is also the only woman ever to break 60—firing a 59 in the 2001 Standard Register Ping event in Phoenix; forevermore she is called “Ms.59”.

In 2003 she accepted an invitation to play in the Bank of America Colonial Invitational in Ft. Worth,Texas.  She missed the cut but was heralded for her efforts to play against the men in a PGA Tour event.  She retired from competition in 2008 to start a family and direct her efforts into her golf academy, golf course design, to assorted  business interests and  many charitable causes.  Annika Sorenstam is our number 1 female golfer of all-time.

Bob’s top 10 women golfers of all time

The top ten men golfers of all time was difficult, I think picking the top ten women golfers of all time is even tougher.  There are simply so many great women golfers who have achieved so much that separation between them is a task. In evaluating the greatest women golfers of all time, I have sort of divided the outcome into 4 distinct timeframes:

 

l. The “old timers”—or in better jargon the original women who started the ladies tour.

2. The next group of players who intersected the first group but also transcended into the more modern players.

3. The intermediate group incorporating the transcending group and

4. The modern players.

It just happened that all 4 groups are represented in my top ten women golfers of all time and here they are:

 

10. Juli Inkster—Juli is the winner of 31 LPGA events, including 7 major titles encompassing the Grand Slam.  She was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2000 and her incredible career is still ongoing past her 50th birthday.  She won 3 consecutive women’s amateur titles and has been the most prolific winner on the American side in Solheim Cup history—a remarkable career still going strong— Juli Inkster#10.

9. Nancy Lopez—Nancy burst  – and I do mean burst –  on the LPGA Tour in 1978, winning a record 9 titles in her rookie campaign, including five tournaments in a row at one point in that season and  the prestigious LPGA Championship—one of her three major wins.  Lopez’s dominance of the tour continued for a decade and a half in tournaments won and player of the year honors galore.

Although she failed to win the U.S. Open—4 second place finishes still embellish her resume.  Hall of Fame election was an automatic in 1987.  Nancy is considered by many to be the Arnold Palmer of ladies golf as she loved the galleries and they in turn adored her right back, fan favorite—Nancy Lopez #9.

8. Karrie Webb—One of two non-Americans to crack my top ten is the amazing Karrie Webb from the land down under, Australia.  Karrie knew at an early age that she must venture to America to pursue her golfing exploits to their fullest, and she has not disappointed anyone.  She has won 39 LPGA events including all of the majors (7 total). Webb became at the time in 2000 the youngest person ever elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame—no doubt the greatest Aussie woman ever to touch a golf club—Karrie Webb #8 all time.