Unlike men's golf, women's golf doesn't have an internationally recognized set of major women golf competitions. The list of major championships of Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) has changed numerous times over the time, with the most recent modification in 2001. Like the men's PGA Tour, the LPGA at this time involves four major women golf competitions: Kraff Nabisco Championship, LPGA Championship, U.S. Women's Open, and Women's British Open. Only the Women's British Open is also recognized by the Ladies European Golf Tour.
Review of Major Women Golf Competitions
The Kraft Nabisco Championship (initially was called Dinah Shore Championship) originated in 1972 and has been ranked as a major tournament since 1983. It is the annual competition that is held in Rancho Mirage,
The LPGA Championship is the second-longest tournament running in the history of the LPGA exceeded only by U.S. Women's Open. It is one of four major women golf competitions on the LPGA tour, however, it is not acknowledged as a major tournament by the LPGA European Tour.
Before 2004 only professionals could compete in the LPGA Championship. This is contrary to such events as the British and U.S. Opens, which have long allowed both professional and amateur entrants. The LPGA Championship is the own event of LPGA, and was created particularly to endow women with opportunities in professional golf. In 2005 professionals-only rule was canceled, in effect to allow Michelle Wie to participate in order to obtain more coverage by media even if this was not openly approved by the LPGA. Some professional golfers objected to this step as they considered that places provided to amateur players would come at the cost of the less successful pro on LPGA Tour's, who necessitate playing on a regular basis to make a living. However, some leading professionals stated that in their view objections to this move were shortsighted.
The Women's British Open is one of the most significant events in the professional women's golf, being the single competition which is recognized as a major tournament by both the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour. The championship was founded in 1976 by the Golf Union of Great Britain. In 1994 it turned into an official event on the LPGA Tour. It has become an LPGA major competition in 2001, when it was held in the du Maurier Classic. In 2005 the first money prize was US $1,800,000.
The U.S. Women's Open is one of the major women golf competitions on LPGA Tour together with the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the Women's British Open, and the LPGA Championship. It is the solitary tournament to have been acknowledged as a major event by the LPGA since its inception in 1950; the other present majors were not established until later.
Contrasting to its men's equivalent, the U.S. Women's Open is not internationally accepted as a major competition. Nevertheless, the importance of this is relative as the LPGA Tour is the prevailing tour in women's golf.