A Look at 5 of the Best Women Golfers in the World
Golf, which traces its origins back to 15th century Scotland, has long been a sport that has catered exclusively to men. Women were prohibited from playing at many courses in the United States throughout the 20th century. Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey is among the best courses in the country and only allowed women to become members in April 2021. Before that, they could play on the club’s course but only as guests on Sunday afternoons. Augusta National, which hosts the Masters Tournament, only allowed women to become members nearly a decade prior.
Despite the fact there are still a few men’s-only private clubs in the US, women’s golf has come a long way over the past century. Thirteen women joined forces to create the Ladies Professional Golf Association of America (LPGA) in 1950. The inaugural LPGA Tour that year featured 15 official money events with a combined prize purse of $40,258. Highlighting the growth of women’s golf, the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open had a prize purse of $5.5 million. Below is a look at the top-five players in earnings for the 2021 LPGA Tour season.
Nelly Korda
American Nelly Korda has been among the best golfers on the LPGA Tour since her rookie season in 2017. The 23-year-old has six career tournament victories, 36 top 10 finishes, and more than $5.6 million in career earnings. She made $1.94 million during the 2021 season and won the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, and Gainbridge LPGA. She also had top-five finishes at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions presented by the Insurance Office of America, ANA Inspiration, and LOTTE Championship.
Korda, whose sister Jessica ranks 23rd on the 2021 LPGA money list, cemented her status as the best female golfer in the world at the Tokyo 2020 Games in August 2021. She won the gold medal with a one-stroke victory over Japan’s Mone Inami.
“This is just kind of like almost legend status as a golfer, period, male or female,” noted Jessica, who celebrated with her sister after the Olympic tournament. “It’s tough to win out here and she makes it look easy, but those girls are good. So for her to be doing [that], it’s insane to me. This is like total GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) status to me.”
Patty Tavatanakit
A 21-year-old native of Thailand in her second season on the LPGA Tour, Patty Tavatanakit finished second in earnings with $1.23 million. She finished in the top 10 in 14 of the events in which she participated and won the ANA Inspiration, for which she earned $465,000. Tavatanakit’s top-10 finishes include tournaments such as the Cambia Portland Classic, KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and HSBC Women’s World Championship.
Tavatanakit is a well-rounded golfer who ranked among the top 10 players in averaging driving distance, putts per Green in Regulation, and rounds under par. She also led all players with a sand saves percentage of 63.08. This was a key to her success, as she ranked 127th out of 186 players in driving accuracy at 65.28 percent.
Lydia Ko
A two-time Olympic medalist, Lydia Ko of New Zealand finished third in earnings during the 2021 LPGA Tour season with $1.21 million through 16 events. She received $300,000 for winning the LOTTE Championship and also recorded top 10 finishes at the ANA Inspiration, Gainbridge LPGA, and The Amundi Evian Championship, among other tournaments.
Ko is only 24 years old but has been a member of the LPGA Tour since 2014. She has won 16 tournaments and earned more than $12 million during that time.
Yuka Saso
Had she participated in more events, Yuka Saso could have surpassed Korda as the money leader on the LPGA Tour in 2021. The 20-year-old Filipina rookie competed in only eight tournaments but won $1.21 million in prize money. No other golfer in the top 30 has played in fewer than 10 events.
Saso, who primarily plays on the Japan LPGA, won the $1 million champion’s purse at the 2021 U.S. Women’s Open in June. She trailed leader Lexi Thompson by six strokes with only eight holes left in the final round and went to a playoff with Nasa Hataoka of Japan after Thompson recorded three bogeys and a double bogey during her last six holes. Saso drained an eight-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole to become the first-ever golfer from the Philippines to win a major championship.
Minjee Lee
A six-time winner on the LPGA Tour, Minjee Lee of Australia has earned more than $8 million in prize money since 2015. She won $1.16 million of that total this season with five top 10 finishes and one victory. Lee won The Amundi Evian Championship with a four-round score of 18-under-par and claimed $675,000. She won $219,787, her second-largest prize of the season, with a T5 finish at the AIG Women’s Open in August.
