Titleholders Championship
The Titleholders Championship was a women's golf tournament played from in 1937 to 1966 and again in 1972. It was later designated a major championship by the LPGA Tour.
It should not be confused with two other LPGA events with similar names:
- The Mercury Titleholders Championship: A regular (non-major) LPGA tournament held from 1990 to 1999.
- The CME Group Titleholders: The season-ending tournament on the LPGA Tour held since 2011.
History
The Titleholders Championship was founded in 1937. Like the Masters Tournament for men, which began a few years earlier, it was played in Augusta, Georgia though at the Augusta Country Club, not at Augusta National Golf Club. The winners of various amateur and professional events were invited to take part, although most of the competitors were amateurs. There were very few women professionals at the time and most earned their living as club or teaching professionals. The Titleholders itself did not offer prize money until 1948, when a prize fund of $600 was introduced, with half of the money going to the professional placing highest in the event. The tournament was discontinued after 1966, but was revived for one year in 1972, when it was played at Southern Pines, North Carolina. All of these stagings are now recognized as major championships by the LPGA, even though the organization was not founded until 1950.
Winners
(a) - denotes amateur
PO - won in playoff
^ - 54 holes
Multiple winners
This table lists the golfers who have won more than one Titleholders Championship.
| Deceased golfer † |
| Grand Slam winners ‡ |
| Deceased Grand Slam winners ∞ |
| Country | Golfer | Total | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
 United States |
Patty Berg † | 7 | 1937, 1938, 1939, 1948, 1953, 1955, 1957 |
| United States |
Louise Suggs ‡ | 4 | 1946, 1954, 1956, 1959 |
| United States |
Babe Zaharias † | 3 | 1947, 1950, 1952 |
| United States |
Dorothy Kirby † | 2 | 1941, 1942 |
| United States |
Mickey Wright ‡ | 2 | 1961, 1962 |
| United States |
Marilynn Smith | 2 | 1963, 1964 |
| United States |
Kathy Whitworth | 2 | 1965, 1966 |
Winners by nationality
This table lists the total number of titles won by golfers of each nationality as a major.
| Nationality | Number of wins |
|---|---|
| United States | 27 |
 Uruguay | 1 |
References
- ↑ LPGA Tournament Chronology - 1970-79
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 LPGA Tournament Chronology - 1960-69
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 LPGA Tournament Chronology - 1950-59
- ↑ "Peggy Kirk Wins Augusta Tourney". The Evening Independent. St. Petersburg, Florida. Associated Press. March 21, 1949. p. 10. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
- ↑ "Berg Captures Titleholders Golf Tourney". The Spartanburg Herald. Spartanburg, South Carolina. Associated Press. March 22, 1948. p. 7. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
- ↑ "Zaharias Cops Golf Crown". The Milwaukee Sentinel. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Associated Press. March 31, 1947. pp. 2–4. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
- ↑ "Suggs Wins Titleholders Golf Event". St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. United Press. April 13, 1946. p. 12. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
- ↑ "Miss Kirby Keeps Title". Reading Eagle. Reading, Pennsylvania. April 3, 1942. p. 20. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
- ↑ "Dorothy Kirby Ties Own Golf Record". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. April 10, 1941. p. 35. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
- ↑ "Augusta Golf to Mrs. Harb". San Antonio Light. San Antonio, Texas. Associated Press. January 19, 1940. p. 11A.
- ↑ "Patty Berg Again Is Augusta Winner". Ellensburg Daily Record. Ellensburg, Washington. Associated Press. January 20, 1939. p. 6. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
- ↑ "Patty Berg Races Ahead Of Golfers In Augusta Event". The Spartanburg Herald. Spartanburg, South Carolina. Associated Press. January 17, 1938. p. 7. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
- ↑ "Patty Berg Triumphs". The Montreal Gazette. Montreal, Canada. Associated Press. January 18, 1937. p. 16. Retrieved May 14, 2010.