U.S. Women’s Open: 10 champions from The Babe to Karrie Webb

Ten U.S. Women’s Open champions from Babe Zaharias to Karrie Webb bring the drama and thrill of the Open into sharp focus.

The U.S. Women’s Open is the one young girls and old women dream equally about winning. Patty Berg was the first Open champion, in 1946, when it was played as the Ladies Open at the Spokane Country Club.  In the seven decades that have followed, many have followed in Berg’s footsteps. Some were achingly young and others were stunningly mature. The field gradually internationalized. Through it all, a legacy of athletic excellence and personal achievement have fueled competition for the U.S. Women’s Open championship.

From its inception in 1946 through 1948 the Ladies Open was sanctioned by the Women’s Professional Golf Association. The LPGA, organized in 1949, assumed responsibility for the Open and sanctioned the tournament from 1949-1952. In 1953 the USGA assumed responsibility for the U.S. Women’s Open, bringing what began as the love child of a small group of women who dreamed big into full maturity as a national women’s golf championship.

Steeped in tradition and rich in memory, the U.S. Women’s Open has produced some simply stunning moments of athletic competition and achievement as it has traced the growth of the women’s game in the United States and on the global stage.

These 10 Open champions have uniquely defined the women’s game and the spirit of competitive golf embodied in the U.S. Women’s Open.

Next: Babe Zaharias, 1954