She was the first woman to ever win a major championship in golf but then she refused to defend her title

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The women’s game has come a long way in golf and as we look on now and marvel at superstars like Nelly Korda and Minjee Lee, none of what they achieve would be possible if it wasn’t for the stars of yesteryear.

The LPGA Tour is the strongest it has ever been and right now, there is so much depth in the field that on any given week, a number of players can win.

Of course, we see the anomalies at times just like in the men’s game, with Nelly Korda the player to dominate in 2024.

However, Korda hasn’t produced the same form in 2025 and that’s allowed others to take the stage and win some of the LPGA’s biggest and best events.

Still, while the likes of Grace Kim and Maja Stark have won out in women’s majors in 2025, it’s worth looking back to the worst ever women’s major winner, Lucia Mida, to find where it all started.

Lucia Mida and the 1930 Women’s Western Open

While we’re used to seeing some of the top women’s players in the world dominate and strut their stuff in the modern era, none of it would happen had Lucia Mida not laid the groundwork.

All the way back in 1930, Mida became the first woman to win what is now recognised as one of the majors on the women’s tour.

Mida won the Women’s Western Open in 1930 to write her name into the history books. At the time, the tournament wasn’t recognised as a major as such but down the line, the LPGA decided to recognise the event as the first women’s major.

Subsequently, Mida then became the first ever women’s major winner.

How Lucia Mida became the first major winner in women’s golf

In terms of the tournament itself, Mida actually won the tournament as an amateur, despite being a somewhat experienced golfer in general.

Furthermore, this was back at a time when the tournament was played as match-play, not the stroke-play we are now used to seeing in the modern game. In the end, Mida saw off fellow amateur – June Beebe – to win with six holes to spare.

And, in a further twist to the tale, Mida then remarkably chose not to play in 1931, effectively relinquishing her title and allowing everyone else to battle it out.

This win ended up being Mida’s best and only result in a major, as she continued to play in the amateur ranks.