8 Interesting Facts You Didn’t Know About the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

Although golf is a very niche sport, whoever loves and enjoys the sport longs for major tournaments. The thrill, excitement, anticipation, and feeling of watching a major tournament, be it in men’s golf or women’s golf, is a feeling that words absolutely cannot describe. A total of nine major tournaments are played in golf: four in men’s golf and five in women’s golf.

For all golf enthusiasts, let’s dive deeper into one of the most prestigious and tradition rich women’s major championships, the KPMG PGA Championship.

History of the KPMG PGA Championship

The PGA Championship is the second-longest-running tournament on the LPGA Tour after the US Women’s Open. The first-ever inaugural women’s PGA championship was held in 1955 at Orchard Ridge Country Club in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

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The women’s PGA Championship is one of five majors in women’s golf, joining the Chevron Championship, the U.S. Women’s Open presented by ProMedica, the AIG Women’s Open, and the Amundi Evian Championship.

Every year, the biggest names on the LPGA Tour go head-to-head for the highly coveted title and the pride and honor that come with winning a major championship. It is indeed every golfer’s dream to win all the major tournaments and earn a career grand slam.

Nostalgic journey of winners and venues of the Women’s PGA Championship so far

In its 68 years of its existence, the women’s PGA Championship has been organized at spectacular venues and has seen many golfings stars establish their career goals. Let us remember all the winners that have been there so far:

• 1955: Beverly Hanson, Orchard Ridge C.C.
• 1956: Marlene Hagge, Forest Lake C.C.
• 1957: Louise Suggs, Churchill Valley C.C.
• 1958: Mickey Wright, Churchill Valley C.C.
• 1959: Betsy Rawls, Sheraton Hotel C.C.
• 1960: Mickey Wright, Sheraton Hotel C.C.
• 1961: Mickey Wright, Stardust C.C.
• 1962: Judy Kimball, Stardust C.C.
• 1963: Mickey Wright, Stardust C.C.
• 1964: Mary Mills, Stardust C.C.
• 1965: Sandra Haynie, Stardust C.C.,
• 1966: Gloria Ehret, Mickey Wright, Stardust C.C.
• 1967: Kathy Whitworth, Pleasant Valley C.C.
• 1968 Sandra Post, Pleasant Valley C.C.
• 1969: Betsy Rawls, Concord Golf Course
• 1970: Shirley Englehorn, Pleasant Valley C.C.
• 1971: Kathy Whitworth, Pleasant Valley C.C.
• 1972; Kathy Ahern, Pleasant Valley C.C.
• 1973: Mary Mills, Pleasant Valley C.C.
• 1974: Sandra Haynie, Pleasant Valley C.C.
• 1975: Kathy Whitworth, Pine Ridge Golf Course
• 1976: Betty Burfeindt, Pine Ridge Golf Course
• 1977: Chako Higuchi, Bay Tree Golf Plantation
• 1978: Nancy Lopez, Jack Nicklaus, SC
• 1979: Donna Caponi, Jack Nicklaus SC
• 1980: Sally Little, Jack Nicklaus SC
• 1981: Donna Caponi, Jack Nicklaus SC
• 1982: Jan Stephenson vs. Jack Nicklaus SC
• 1983: Patty Sheehan, Jack Nicklaus SC
• 1984: Patty Sheehan, Jack Nicklaus SC
• 1985: Nancy Lopez, Jack Nicklaus, SC
• 1986: Pat Bradley vs. Jack Nicklaus SC
• 1987: Jane Geddes, Jack Nicklaus SC
• 1988: Sherri Turner, Jack Nicklaus SC
• 1989: Nancy Lopez, Bethesda
• 1990: Beth Daniel, Bethesda
• 1991: Meg Mallon, Bethesda
• 1992: Betsy King, Bethesda
• 1993: Patty Sheehan, Bethesda
• 1994: Laura Davies, DuPont C.C.
• 1995: Kelly Robins, DuPont C.C.
• 1996: Laura Davies, DuPont C.C.
• 1997: Christa Johnson, DuPont C.C.
• 1998: Se Ri Pak, DuPont C.C.
• 1999: Juli Inkster, DuPont C.C.
• 2000: Juli Inkster, DuPont C.C.
• 2001: Karrie Webb, DuPont C.C.
• 2002: Se Ri Pak, DuPont C.C.
• 2003: Annika Sörenstam, DuPont C.C.
• 2004: Annika Sörenstam, DuPont C.C.
• 2005: Annika Sörenstam, Bulle Rock GC
• 2006: Se Ri Pak, Bulle Rock GC
• 2007: Suzann Pettersen, Bulle Rock GC
• 2008: Yani Tseng, Bulle Rock GC
• 2009: Anna Nordqvist, Bulle Rock GC
• 2010: Cristie Kerr, Locust Hill C.C.
• 2011: Yani Tseng, Locust Hill C.C.
• 2012: Shanshan Feng, Locust Hill C.C.
• 2013: Inbee Park-Locust Hill C.C.
• 2014: Inbee Park-Monroe C.C., Pittsford, N.Y.
• 2015: Inbee Park-Westchester C.C.
• 2016: Brooke Henderson, Sahalee C.C.
• 2017 Danielle Kang, Olympia Fields (Ill.) C.C.
• 2018 Sung Hyun Park, Kemper Lakes Golf Course
• 2019 Hannah Green, Hazeltine National Golf Course
• 2020: Sei Young Kim, Aronimink Golf Club
• 2021: Nelly Korda, Atlanta Athletic Club
• 2022: In Gee Chun: Congressional Blue Course

Top Facts about the Women’s PGA Championship

1. The KPMG PGA Championship is not the first name the tournament has had so far in sixty-eight years. The championship has had different names depending on the various sponsors it has had. All the names that the Women’s PGA Championship has had so far are:

2. Only one female golfer has ever won the tournament four times, and that is Mickey Wright. She won in 1958, 1960, 1961, and 1963.

3. Annika Sorenstam, the female golf legend, holds the record for the most consecutive wins in 2003, 2004, and 2005. Also, Inbee Park holds the same record for three consecutive victories in the years 2013, 2014, and 2015.

4. The KPMG PGA Championship offers one of the highest purses in the LPGA tournaments. The prize money was doubled from $4.5 million to $9 million in 2022.

5. The prize money of the KPMG PGA Championship has spiked by a whopping 300% in the last nine years, since 2014.

6. The main reason for the LPGA Tour partnering up with the PGA of America and then KPMG was to promote women’s golf and help it excel. The aforementioned reason for the partnership was accomplished as KPMG and the PGA of America raised prize money significantly. Before KPMG became a sponsor of the championship, its average prize money was $2.25 million. But in 2015, it increased to $3.5 million, and then in 2020, it rose to $4.3 million and $4.5 million in 2021.

7. The women’s PGA Championship was televised in 2015 for the first time after it partnered with KPMG and the PGA of America. The live-action of the KPMG PGA Championship can be enjoyed on NBC and the Golf Channel.

8. The KPMG PGA Championship is not just about the golf tournament but also about empowering a new generation of female leaders to be their best selves. A women’s leadership summit is also organized, along with a charitable initiative, at this highly coveted tournament. The charitable initiative is known as the KPMG Future Leaders Programme, which mainly focuses on the development, advancement, and empowerment of women on and off the golf course.

Are you excited to see the most highly decorated female golfers go head to head against each other in just a couple of days? Who are you rooting for in 2023 to emerge victorious at the historic Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey? Let us know in the comments below.

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