LPGA Founders Award Winners and History

The Founders Award is handed out annually by the LPGA Tour to one its golfers who, in the estimation of her peers, exemplifies "the spirit, ideals and values of the LPGA."

It's a big deal to the players who receive it because it is awarded based on a vote by the players. Getting the Founders Award means that your competitors and peers have great respect and admiration for you and your dedication to the LPGA and to golf.

Juli Inkster is the only golfer who has won it twice. The Founders Award used to be called the William and Mousie Powell Award (more on that below).

Winners of the LPGA Founders Award

2023 — Lexi Thompson
2022 — In Gee Chun
2021 — Lydia Ko
2020 — No award
2019 — Brooke Henderson
2018 — So Yeon Ryu
2017 — Katherine Kirk
2016 — Karrie Webb
2015 — Juli Inkster
2014 — Chella Choi
2013 — Amanda Blumenherst
2012 — Ai Miyazato
2010–11 — No award
2009 — Lorena Ochoa
2008 — Hilary Lunke
2007 — Natalie Gulbis
2006 — Vicki Goetze-Ackerman
2005 — Heather Daly-Donofrio
2004 — Juli Inkster
2003 — Suzy Whaley
2002 — Gail Graham
2001 — Wendy Ward
2000 — Lorie Kane
1999 — Meg Mallon
1998 — Judy Rankin
1997 — Sherri Turner
1996 — Betsy King
1995 — JoAnne Carner
1994 — Jill Briles-Hinton
1993 — Alice Miller
1992 — Shelley Hamlin
1991 — Pat Bradley
1990 — Judy Dickinson
1989 — Heather Farr
1988 — Marlene Hagge
1987 — Nancy Lopez
1986 — Kathy Whitworth

Former Name: William and Mousie Powell Award

The LPGA Founders Award only acquired that name in 2019. For its entire history prior to that, it was named the William and Mousie Powell Award. The tour renamed it to celebrate the 13 founders of the LPGA.

It was Mousie Powell who created the award in 1986. So who were William and Mousie Powell? They were Hollywood actors.

William Powell was once one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Mousie Powell also acted in the 1930s and 1940s, originally under the name Diane Lewis. From the LPGA's creation in the early 1950s, Mousie was a huge booster of the tour, and she eventually was made an honorary LPGA member.

William Powell died in 1984, and when Mousie created the award in 1986 she included her husband's name on it. Mousie Powell died in 1997. The award continued under its original name through 2018, then, in 2019, the name was changed to Founders Award.