Ladies’ Major Golf Championships
There is no globally agreed set of ladies’ major golf championships. The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour recognises five majors, while the Ladies European Tour (LET) acknowledges only two of those recognised by the LPGA Tour. Both organisations for female professional golfers recognise:
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Women’s British Open. Until 2013, the Women’s British Open was the only tournament to be recognised as a major by both the LPGA Tour and the LET. The tournament was founded by the Ladies’ Golf Union which has been organising it since 1976. It initially wasn’t particularly well received and the country’s elite courses didn’t show interest in the event. The tournament, however, grew dramatically over the years in prestige and today, the same courses are in rotation for the Women’s British Open as for The Open Championship. The tournament is typically held in July (after 15th).
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The Evian Championship. The tournament was recognised as a major by both the LPGA and the LET only in 2013 although it has been held ever since 1994. Hosted by the Evian Masters Golf Club (France), the Evian Championship is scheduled to take place one week before the Women’s British Open which means in early July. Originally, it was held in mid-June.
The following is a list of ladies’ major golf championships which are recognised by the LPGA Tour but not by the LET:
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Women’s US Open. First held in 1946, the Women’s US Open is the oldest ladies’ major and one of 13 championships that are organised by the United States Golf Association (USGA). However, it is also competed by female golfers from outside the United States and in 2007, international golfers outnumbered those from the United States. The tournament is traditionally played in June.
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The LPGA Championship. Since 2011 also known as Wegmans LPGA Championship (after its sponsor), the LPGA Championship has been held annually since 1955 and is the second oldest LPGA Tour-recognised ladies’ major. Since 1999, it has been held in June, while its host is since 1977 the Locust Hill Country Club at Rochester, New York.
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Kraft Nabisco Championship. The tournament that was named after its sponsors – Kraft Foods and Nabisco was established in 1972 but it was recognised by the LPGA Tour as a major only in 1983. The Kraft Nabisco Championship was founded by actress and singer Dinah Shore and since the first tournament in 1972, it has been hosted by the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. It is played either in late March or early April.