The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers.

Depending on a golfer's finish in the final qualifying tournament, she may receive full or partial playing privileges on the LPGA Tour.

The LPGA is the oldest continuing women's professional sports organization in the United States.

[4][5] It succeeded the WPGA (Women's Professional Golf Association), which was founded in 1944 but stopped its limited tour after the 1948 season and officially ceased operations in December 1949.

[9] Its 13 founders were: Alice Bauer, Patty Berg, Bettye Danoff, Helen Dettweiler, Marlene Hagge, Helen Hicks, Opal Hill, Betty Jameson, Sally Sessions, Marilynn Smith, Shirley Spork, Louise Suggs, and Babe Zaharias.

Ironically, the winner was amateur Polly Riley, who beat the stellar field of professional founders.

Michael Whan, a former marketing executive in the sporting goods industry,[14] became the eighth commissioner of the LPGA in October 2009, succeeding the ousted Carolyn Bivens.

[16][17][18] In 2013, trans woman Bobbi Lancaster faced local scorn for attempting to play in Arizona's Cactus Tour in hopes of getting a spot for the LPGA Qualifying Tournament.

From 2006 through 2008 the LPGA schedule was divided into two halves, with 15 players from each half qualifying for the Championship based on their performance.

Past Race to the CME Globe champions include Lydia Ko (2014, 2015), Ariya Jutanugarn (2016, 2018) and Lexi Thompson (2017).

Sandra Post of Canada became the first player living outside the United States to gain an LPGA tour card in 1968.

[27] In 2009, there were 122 non-Americans from 27 countries on the tour, including 47 from South Korea, 14 from Sweden, 10 from Australia, eight from the United Kingdom (four from England, three from Scotland and one from Wales), seven from Canada, five from Taiwan, and four from Japan.

[28] The LPGA established the Hall of Fame of Women's Golf in 1951, with four charter members: Patty Berg, Betty Jameson, Louise Suggs, and Babe Zaharias.

1 The five players with three titles in 1988 were Juli Inkster, Rosie Jones, Betsy King, Nancy Lopez, and Ayako Okamoto.