Lydia Ko now stands one point away from qualifying for the LPGA Hall of Fame. She’d be the 35th member of the LPGA Hall, nine of which are honorary members. Only 25 players have met the Hall’s requirements.
The LPGA Hall remains one of the most exclusive in all of sports. Players must reach 27 points to get in: (one point for each regular LPGA victory; two for a major win; one point each for the LPGA Rolex Player of the Year and Vare Trophy awards; and one point for an Olympic gold medal).
In addition to having 27 points, players must also either win an LPGA major, Vare Trophy or Player of the Year honors.
The 27-point threshold was actually lowered in the late 1990s when it looked like some of the greatest to ever play the game weren’t going to get in under the old system that required 30 LPGA victories with two major championships, or 35 with one major, or 40 with no majors.
Even so, there are a number of players even hard-core fans might be surprised aren’t in the LPGA Hall, though many are in the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Here’s a list of 10 decorated players still on the outside looking in:
Laura Davies
Laura Davies has accumulated 25 points in her illustrious career with 20 LPGA titles, including four majors. She also earned a point for being the 1996 LPGA Player of the Year. Davies was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015.
Meg Mallon
Mallon, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017, won 18 times on the LPGA, including four majors. She has a total of 22 LPGA Hall of Fame points.
Dottie Pepper
The fiery Dottie Pepper, a Solheim Cup stalwart, won 17 times on the LPGA, including two majors. She won both the LPGA Player of the Year and Vare Trophy in 1992.
Jane Blalock
A 27-time winner on the LPGA, Blalock has the points required to enter the Hall of Fame but lacks the major victory, Vare Trophy or POY title to get there. Blalock won the inaugural Dinah Shore Colgate Winner’s Circle in 1972 before it was designated a major championship.
Hollis Stacy
An 18-time winner on the LPGA, Stacy won four majors, including three U.S. Women’s Opens. Stacy was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2012 and has 22 LPGA HOF points.
Sandra Palmer
Palmer will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame later this summer. The former cheerleader and homecoming queen won 19 times on the LPGA, including two majors. Palmer was the 1975 LPGA Player of the Year.
Jan Stephenson
The 1974 LPGA Rookie of the Year, Stephenson won 16 LPGA titles over the course of her career, including three different majors. One of the tour’s most recognizable players, the Aussie was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2019.
Cristie Kerr
Still active on the LPGA, 46-year-old Kerr played 10 times last season. A 20-time winner on the LPGA, Kerr’s two major titles include the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open.
Susie Berning
While Berning only won 11 times on the LPGA, four of those titles were majors. Three of those majors were U.S. Women’s Opens (1968, 1972, 1973). Only a dozen players – male and female combined – have won three or more U.S. Opens. Two of Berning’s Open titles came after giving birth to her first child.
Berning was elected into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2022.
Beverly Hanson
While not an LPGA founder, Hanson turned professional in 1951 (one year after the LPGA’s inaugural season), winning her first tournament. The inaugural winner of the LPGA Championship (now KPMG Women’s PGA), Hanson won 17 times on the LPGA, including three majors. Hanson won the Vare Trophy in 1958 as well as the money title. She will be inducted into the WGHOF later this summer.
