LPGA Record: Most Starts Before Winning

You play on one of the world's best golf tours for years ... and years ... without winning. Then, finally, that first win comes. It was a long wait, but it sure was worth it.

In this article, we look at the LPGA Tour golfers who made the most career starts before getting that first win — the ones who waited the longest. But being on this list means that you did, in fact, win on the LPGA Tour, something that the vast majority of golfers who play on a golf tour never do.

The LPGA Record: 359 Starts Before Getting That First Win

Carolyn Hill is the record-holder: She played 358 LPGA Tour events without winning and then, in her 359th start, Hill finally got the "w". That win happened in the 1994 McCall's LPGA Classic, where she shot 65-69 on the weekend to win by three strokes.

Hill was a star as an amateur, playing for Team USA in the 1978 Curtis Cup and winning the 1979 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship. She joined the LPGA Tour in 1980. And in that rookie year, Hill finished second at the Barth Classic.

She was runner-up again at the 1981 Colgate Dinah Shore, a big tournament that later was elevated to major championship status. Win No. 1 seemed just around the corner. Instead, it didn't come for another 13 years.

The List: Most LPGA Starts Before First Win

Hill is one of two LPGA golfers who made more than 300 starts before finally winning. Two others had to play more than 290 tournaments before getting that first win.

• 359 starts — Carolyn Hill (1994 McCall's LPGA Classic)
• 313 starts — Cindy Figg-Currier (1997 State Farm Rail Classic)
• 295 starts — Missie McGeorge (1994 Ping-Cellular One LPGA Golf Championship)
• 295 starts — Leta Lindley (2008 LPGA Corning Classic)

And what happened after these breakthrough victories? Were those first wins followed by more? Alas, no: None of these four golfers ever won again on the LPGA Tour.