Female Firsts and the USGA

Timeline:

1895: With the election of Morris County Golf Club as an associate member in June, the USGA grants the then all-women’s New Jersey club full voting rights in matters of the Association. The same year, the USGA conducts the inaugural U.S. Women’s Amateur as one of the Association’s three original championships. It becomes the country’s first national golf championship for women.

1898: Beatrix Hoyt of Shinnecock Hills G.C. wins her third consecutive U.S. Women’s Amateur championship and captures the attention of audiences and writers, becoming the country’s first female golf sensation.

1916: Following the 1916 U.S. Women’s Amateur, many competitors voice a desire for greater input on selecting the courses that would host their national championship. Immediately supportive of the initiative, the USGA Executive Committee inaugurates the Women’s Tournament Committee, responsible for the U.S. Women’s Amateur course selection. The first committee comprises female representatives from five different regions.

1926: Expanding the role of the Women’s Tournament Committee, the committee is renamed the Women’s Committee of the United States Golf Association and assumes responsibility for facilitating every local aspect of the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, including receiving entries, registration, making pairings and arranging for press, policing and the transportation and accommodation of the competitors. 

1932: The USGA and the Ladies Golf Union (LGU) of Great Britain and Ireland conduct the first official Curtis Cup Match to “stimulate friendly rivalry among the women golfers of many lands.” Competing in the Curtis Cup remains one of the most prestigious honors for female amateur golfers.

1949: As younger generations take to the game in increasing numbers, the USGA inaugurates the U.S. Girls’ Junior, providing a national championship for females under the age of 18.

1953: The USGA conducts the U.S. Women’s Open for the first time. It was first conducted by the Women’s Professional Golf Association (WPGA) in 1946, and operated by the newly formed Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) beginning in 1949 before the USGA was asked to conduct the championship in 1953.

1956: The Chicago Women’s Golf Club is elected a member club of the USGA, making it the first all-African American club to join the association. CWGC member Ann Gregory subsequently becomes the first African-American woman to compete in a USGA championship at the 1956 U.S. Women’s Open.

1975: Fanny Fern Davis, Ph.D., becomes the first female recipient of the USGA Green Section Award. Davis is recognized by the USGA for her significant contributions to the field of turfgrass, including her role in developing the landmark chemical 2, 4-D and her service as acting director of the Green Section from 1943 to 1945 while Director John Monteith served in World War II. 

1979: Hawaii’s Lori Castillo becomes the first woman to hold two USGA championship titles simultaneously by following up her 1978 U.S. Girls’ Junior victory with consecutive U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links titles in 1979 and 1980. Castillo also became the first WAPL champion to compete in a Curtis Cup Match in 1980.

1987: Judy Bell becomes the first woman elected to serve on the USGA Executive Committee. Bell compiled an outstanding record as a competitive golfer as well as a leader in women’s golf as chairman of the USGA Women’s Committee from 1981-84.  

1992: Rhonda Glenn becomes the first woman to receive the USGA’s Herbert Warren Wind Book Award for “The Illustrated History of Women’s Golf.” Glenn dedicated her professional life to preserving the stories of exceptional female golfers through her writing and reporting, including 17 years with the USGA. 

1996: Judy Bell is elected to serve as the first female president of the USGA, leading the Executive Committee in directing the Association’s staff and 1,600 volunteers who serve on 30 committees.

1998:  Se Ri Pak sank a 15-foot birdie putt on the second hole of sudden death to defeat amateur Jenny Chuasiriporn at the 1998 U.S. Women’s Open. This victory and her explosive rookie season on the LPGA Tour attracted new audiences and inspired a generation of young women from her home country, the Republic of Korea, to take up the game, changing the face of women’s golf. 

2003: After seven years of supporting LPGA-USGA Girls Golf through grants, the LPGA and USGA announce they will partner to manage this extremely successful program that provides opportunities for girls to learn to play the game, build lasting friendships and experience competition in a supportive environment.

2012: The USGA Golf Museum dedicates The Mickey Wright Room, celebrating the four-time U.S. Women’s Open champion’s impressive competitive record and lifelong contributions to women’s golf.

2018: The USGA inaugurates the U.S. Senior Women's Open, providing a national championship for professional female golfers over the age of 50.

2019: At the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open, the champion receives $1 million for the first time and the purse, at $5.5 million, is the largest in women’s golf.

2022: The USGA nearly doubles the U.S. Women’s Open purse to $10 million, making it the highest in women’s golf and among the leaders in all of women’s sports. 

2024: Ally becomes the new presenting partner for the U.S. Women's Open, helping to elevate the 2024 championship's purse to $12 million, the highest in women’s golf.