LPGA Continues To Swing 53 Years Later

Fifty-three years ago, 13 young American women started something that seemed so small back then. They built it up and nurtured it with their spiked shoes and flat putters and today, what seemed like a novel idea more than half a century ago, is one of the most successful international sports properties in the world.

The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is enjoying unprecedented success and that success is not only found in the United States.

In 2003, the LPGA will host tournaments in three different continents and seven—Canada, England, France, Japan, Korea, Sweden and the United States—different countries. It is almost mind boggling to think that a professional golf association started by 13 young women in the midst of worldwide tensions now attracts the best female golfers in the world to compete for a combined purse of more than $41 million. It’s a thought that some of the founders, whose ways were revolutionary in 1950, may have even found incongruous.

Attending an LPGA tournament is like attending an international forum on diplomacy. Ninety-five international players represent 24 countries on the LPGA Tour in 2003. Just by attending an event, fans can sharpen up on their Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese and German. The LPGA includes players from Malaysia, Taiwan, Wales, India and Australia.

It’s difficult to find another sports property that can honestly boast that they showcase the best talent in the world every time a competition begins. A look at the top 10 on the ADT Official Money says it all, as there are eight different countries represented. At the top of that money list is the name Annika Sorenstam, a Swede who nearly matches or breaks an LPGA record every time she steps on the course. There have been players and countries that have helped the LPGA grow in recent years, but Sorenstam is the game’s biggest star.

Quiet by nature, Sorenstam lets her actions do the talking. She is the only female to shoot a magical 59 in competition and has earned more than $12 million in her career. The 32-year-old won eight LPGA events in 2001, a feat that only a handful of people believed she could better in 2002. Fortunately, Sorenstam was one of those people. Her 11 titles in 23 starts in 2002 were the most wins in a season since Mickey Wright in 1964.

Sorenstam’s remarkable and heady play got the attention of everyone in the golf world including a large contingent of sponsors on the PGA Tour. Last February, Sorenstam was invited to play in the PGA’s Bank of America Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas. She accepted and immediately became one of the most sought after athletes in the world. Media requests for the 45-time LPGA winner were filed from all over the world, and she was simply known as Annika to the masses.

Without surprise, she received a ton of press and appeared on numerous national television shows, including “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” She ranked 74th on the Forbes’ list of “The Celebrity 100,” joining Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer as the only other golfers recognized. Her image was everywhere and some began to wonder if Annika would be able to compete at her highest level under the now intense eye of the worldwide media. The Colonial reported record crowds and media requests—all of whom wanted to see how Annika would fare against the men. When the time finally came, on a Thursday in late May, the world watched. The USA Network reported record ratings during the first two rounds when Annika competed. She shot a 71-74 and missed the cut, but her grace and composure won over millions of fans.

Her success has carried over too. Annika backed up her debut at the Colonial with back-to-back wins at the Kellogg-Keebler Classic and the LPGA McDonald’s Championship presented by AIG. She nearly pulled off three wins in a row, but her attempt to secure the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic ended on the third-playoff hole in sudden death to Rachel Teske. It is difficult to measure the success of Annika’s participation in the Colonial because repercussions are still being seen. Crowds gather to see her get out of courtesy cars, hit balls and roll in putt after putt. An Annika autograph is a coveted item these days, as a signed Upper Deck trading card recently sold for more than $400 on Ebay.

Annika’s accomplishments are one reason popularity in the LPGA has been rising, but certainly not the only reason. Another large reason would be the small country of Korea.

In recent years, Korea has churned out championship caliber golfers that have made a profound impact on the LPGA. A few years ago, in 1997, you could search the fairways far and wide at an LPGA event and you would not find any Korean members. That all changed in 1998 when a 21-year-old rookie by the name Se Ri Pak joined the Tour. She promptly won four tournaments, including two major championships, and changed the face of the LPGA forever.

Her success encouraged other young Korean phenoms to test the LPGA water and they have found the temperature to be quite comfortable. Korea has more players on tour with 18 than any country outside of the United States. Their players are not coming over here and making a casual check either—they are winning. Four different Korean players won a combined nine events last year. Pak and fellow countrywoman Grace Park have already won in 2003.

The success of Korean players has helped the LPGA grow its property internationally. It was a foundation in deciding to stage an event in Korea, and LPGA apparel is a top-selling brand in the country. Korean fans are some of the most spirited in the world and this is no more evident then when the LPGA plays the Sports Today CJ Nine Bridges Classic. The Korean-based event is a huge draw, and players are celebrated like rock stars. They are noticed wherever they go and need burly bodyguards to protect them from adoring fans.

The next wave of young stars on the LPGA Tour may again be from overseas, but there is a good chance the future of the game is in its own backyard. In recent years the United States has produced numerous young players that are on the cusp of stardom. Beth Bauer, the 2002 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year, and Natalie Gulbis, who came in second to Bauer, lead a surge of U.S. players that have the potential and determination to become the biggest names in the game.

There have been many changes to the face of the LPGA in the last 53 years. But the thought that the future prosperity of the association may weigh heavily on the spiked shoes and flat putters of young American women is one that the golfing community can be proud of.

After all, that’s how it all began.

Paul Rovnak is media relations’ coordinator for the LPGA. For more information on the LPGA, contact the communications department at (386) 274-6200 or log onto: www.LPGA.com.

Topics USA