Back-to-Back Winners in Women's British Open
The Women's British Open is one of the five major championships of women's professional golf. Winning it once is a career-defining achievement for many who do it. Winning it twice consecutively? That is a rare achievement.
The Women's British Open dates to 1976. Since 1994 it has been part of the LPGA Tour, the LPGA at that point joining the Ladies European Tour as a co-sanctioning body. But it has only counted as an LPGA major since 2001.
Over its full history, only three golfers have won the Women's British Open in back-to-back years. And only one of those did it during the tournament's major championship era.
Back-to-Back Winner of Women's British Open as a Major
- Yani Tseng, 2010-2011: Tseng is the only golfer so far to win consecutive Women's British Open titles since 2001, when the tournament became a major. These were Tseng's third and fifth wins in majors, respectively.
In the 2010 Women's British Open, Tseng won by one stroke over runner-up Katherine Hull. At age 21, she was the youngest golfer, male or female, to win three majors. In the 2011 WBO, Tseng came from two strokes off the third-round lead to win by four over second-place Brittany Lang. Going for three in a row in 2012, Tseng finished 29th.
Back-to-Back Winners Before It Was a Major
- Sherri Steinhauer, 1998-1999: Steinhauer won this tournament three times, but only the last of those victories in 2006 is counted as a major. In 1998, she won by one stroke over Brandie Burton and Sophie Gustafson. In 1999, Steinhauer beat runner-up Annika Sorenstam by one.
- Debbie Massey, 1980-1981: In the tournament's early years, before many LPGA players entered, when amateurs still made up large parts of the field, Massey was the first back-to-back champ. In 1980, she won by one shot over amateurs Marta Figueras-Dotti and Belle Robertson. And Robertson was also the runner-up in Massey's second win in 1981.
