A Look Back at the History of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship

The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship continues the rich tradition of the LPGA Championship as the second-longest running Championship in the history of the Ladies Professional Golf Association. The Championship brings together a world-class, annual Major Championship with a KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit and a commitment to inspire and develop new generations of female leaders both on and off the golf course.

Beverly Hanson won the inaugural KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in 1955 at Orchard Ridge Country Club in Fort Wayne, Indiana, defeating Louise Suggs, 4 and 3, in the Championship match.

It was the only time the LPGA Championship ended in a match-play finale after the initial three rounds were conducted via stroke play.

Other Past Champions include many of the greatest names in women’s golf: Mickey Wright, Betsy Rawls, Kathy Whitworth, Nancy Lopez, Beth Daniel, Betsy King, Juli Inkster, Laura Davies, Annika Sorenstam, Se Ri Pak, Cristie Kerr and Inbee Park.

Credit: Getty Images

Mickey Wright won this Championship a record four times (1958, 1960, ’61, ’63). Park, with her victory in 2015 at Westchester Country Club, joined Lopez, Pak, Sörenstam and Whitworth on the short list of three-time winners. Park (2013-15) also shares the all-time record for consecutive titles with Sörenstam (2003-05).

In 2021, World No. 1 Nelly Korda won her first Major Title at Atlanta Athletic Club.

One of the tenants of the ground-breaking collaboration among KPMG, the PGA of America and the LPGA was that this Championship would be shared with the nation’s finest golf courses and that tradition will continue in 2022 at the renowned Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.

Take a look at all of our past Champions and the host venues for the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

CHAMPIONS AND VENUES THROUGH THE YEARS

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