Senior Golf Championships
Recognized
There are now five major senior golf championships played
including the Senior PGA, U.S. Senior Open, Senior British
Open, The Tradition and the Senior Players Championship.
The oldest of the five being the PGA Senior Championship,
which started in 1937 followed by the U.S Senior Open, The
Tradition and the Senior players in the 1980's.
The Senior British received recognition in 2003. Senior golf
amateurs and pros from all over the world compete in these
events to see who will come out on top, win the championship,
and take home the winnings. The women or the LPGA recognizes
four annual championships, which are Kraft Nabisco, McDonald's
U.S. LPGA presented by Coco-Cola, U.S. Women's Open and the
Ricoh Women's British Open.
In 1969, the first player from outside the United States was
introduced to the tour card. Her name was Vivien Saunders from
the United Kingdom.
Today, there are currently participants from twenty-six
different countries playing the LPGA. The Women's Senior Golf
Tour was established in 2003, which then became known as the
Legends Tour. Women who are forty-five years or older play the
LPGA Legend Tour. This well-publicized event draws attention
from the media everywhere.
Senior golf is not just for men, many women compete
professionally just as well as the men do. Whether you are an
amateur or a professional, golf does not have a gender set as
to who can golf and who cannot.
Many women have come to prove that they can complete and
ensure the even the toughest golf courses just like the men.
Some of the top leaders in the LPGA have won some pretty
impressive purses and have gone on to become professional
senior golf players who also offer lessons to beginners and
those wanting to improve their game.
In 2006, Lorena Ochoa from Canada won the player of the year
and Vare trophy while Seon Hwa Lee of Korea won the Rookie of
the Year. Before 1994, the majority of the trophy winners were
from the United States.
From 1994 until today, the majority of winners are from
other countries this goes for the leading money winners as
well. Although at the end of the 2006 season, the third place
career money winner was Juli Inkster with Karrie Webb from
Australia in second and Annika Sorenstam of Sweden in first
place.
Women senior golf is not as large as the men's senior golf,
but it is fast becoming something more women are taking an
interest in today and becoming successful. Because many more
women are taking an interest in senior golf and golf in
general, you may see more women tournaments then the scheduled
ones they have to date.
The LPGA and the PGA are both highly published events that
are watched by millions either on television or in person when
the events are being played. The women senior golf pros bring
in just as much revenue during the tours and can keep the
audiences attention just as well as the men's tour do.
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