Back-to-Back Winners of Women's PGA Championship

How many golfers in the history of the Women's PGA Championship have won this tournament two years consecutively? Not many: So far, this major championship has only five back-to-back winners. But two of those won the tournament three years in a row.

There Are 2 Back-to-Back-to-Back Winners

  • Annika Sorenstam, 2003-05: Sorenstam won the Women's PGA Championship (it was named the LPGA Championship prior to 2015) in 2003, 2004 and 2005. When she won in 2004, she became the first back-to-back-to-back champ. When she won again in 2005, Sorenstam became the first back-to-back-to-back winner of this major.

    In 2003, Sorenstam defeated Grace Park in a sudden-death playoff, winning with a par on the first extra hole. In 2004, she won by three strokes over runner-up Shi Hyun Ahn. And in 2005 Annika again won by three strokes, this time over 15-year-old amateur Michelle Wie.

  • Inbee Park, 2013-15: Park won in 2013, 2014 and 2015, the first two of those titles coming via playoffs. In the 2013 Women's PGA, Park and Catriona Matthew matched fours on the first two sudden-death playoff holes. But on the third extra hole, Park won with a birdie.

    In 2014, Park won on the first playoff hole against Brittany Lincicome. And in 2015, Park's victory was by five strokes over runner-up Sei Young Kim.

Others Who Won in Consecutive Years

  • Mickey Wright, 1960-61: Wright's victory in 1960 was by three strokes over Louise Suggs. When Wright won again in 1961 — this time by nine shots over runner-up Suggs — she became this tournament's first back-to-back champ.

  • Patty Sheehan, 1983-84: It took 23 years for another golfer to join Wright as a consecutive winner of the tournament then known as the LPGA Championship. Sheehan had a two-stroke win over Sandra Haynie in 1983, followed by a 10-shot win over Pat Bradley and Beth Daniel in 1984. Sheehan's 10-stroke margin was a tournament record at the time.

  • Juli Inkster, 1999-2000: Inkster completed a career grand slam (winning all the majors that were then available to her on the LPGA Tour) with her 1999 victory. She won by four that year, with Liselotte Neumann in second. In 2000, Inkster made it two in a row to join this list, beating Stefania Croce on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff.

Related articles:

Sources:
Associated Press. "Pressure pays for Sorenstam," Toledo (Ohio) Blade, June 9, 2003, https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JWJPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QwQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6373%2C2709853
Associated Press. "Inbee Park outlasts Catriona Matthew," espn.com, June 9, 2013, https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/9359168/inbee-park-outlasts-catriona-matthew-wins-lpga-championship
Associated Press. "Inkster successful in LPGA title defense," Fort Scott (Kan.) Tribune, June 27, 2000, https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=i9ofAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SdkEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2217%2C3344159
Kekis, John. "Inbee Park wins LPGA Championship," Associate Press via Yahoo Sports, August 17, 2014, https://web.archive.org/web/20140819090920/http://sports.yahoo.com/news/inbee-park-wins-lpga-championship-234928841--golf.html
PGA of America. KPMG Women's PGA 2024 Media Guide, All-Time Records.

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