Golfing trophies come in all shapes and sizes with a nod to a tournament's history or culture or perhaps something more dazzling or plain classy. Here we celebrate some of the most recognisable trophies, which climax the biggest weeks of the year, as well as some of the more thoughtful offerings as we venture to the likes of Asia.
CHEVRON CHAMPIONSHIP
This is traditionally the opening Major of the women's season and it's formerly been known as the Dinah Shore, Nabisco, ANA Inspiration and now the Chevron. The winner was better known for her jump into Poppie's Pond at Mission Hills but, with the move to The Woodlands in Texas in 2023, there might now be more emphasis on the trophy. The 24" Silver Cup was updated by Malcolm DeMille in 2022 with the winner receiving their own 12'' silver-plate replica with the Chevron logo and name on it.
AIG WOMEN'S OPEN
This isn't your traditional grand trophy that you might expect of a Major but it remains a thing of beauty for the champion. This trophy was first awarded to Lorena Ochoa in 2007, when it was the Ricoh Women’s British Open, and in 2023 Lilia Vu would get her hands on a second Major.
The trophy is a fluted design with floral pattern and it was created by Edward Asprey who has had a hand in many of the game's best-known bits of silverware, including the iconic falcon trophy awarded to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship winner.
US WOMEN'S OPEN
This really is the one to get your hands on and in 2023 we saw the US Women's Open being played at Pebble Beach for the first time. The history of the Championship isn't maybe what you would think, dating only back to 1946. The Women's PGA ran it originally before the LPGA took over and then the USGA took charge in 1953.
The winner would get a trophy donated by the Spokane Athletic Round Table and, when the USGA declined their offer of continued sponsorship, they produced this silver two-handled trophy produced by JE Caldwell and Co. The original trophy was replicated in 1992 by the family and friends of Harton S. Semple, who was the USGA president in 1974 and 1975. To get your name on this beauty remains the elite in the women's game.
WOMEN'S PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
The men's Wanamaker Trophy, handed out to the winner of the men's PGA Championship, is noticeably on the large side and the women's version is no different. Again Malcolm DeMille was brought in to refurbish a trophy that has had many names and he added a new lower sterling silver base where the previous winners' names could be celebrated.
In 2015 DeMille also designed a winner's take-home trophy which was 60 per cent of the one we see on TV, then in 2022 he was asked to make the rhodium-plated replica two inches taller.
SOLHEIM CUP
This might only weigh around 20 pounds and be 19 inches tall, including the mahogany base, but this cut-glass Irish Waterford Crystal represents the culmination of one of the great weeks on the biennial calendar. It was designed in 1990, the inaugural year of the competition, by one of Waterford's top designers, Billy Briggs.
For four of the first five matches the US skipper got her hands on it but we are now on 10-8, in favour of the Americans, with the tie in 2023 the first halved match. In 2024 we will see a return of the matches as the Solheim Cup reverts to even-numbered years with Suzann Pettersen and Stacy Lewis again skippering the sides.
BANK OF HOPE LPGA MATCH-PLAY
This is something very different and very eye-catching and international glass artist Barbara Domsky is the creative mind behind the trophy. This is how the tournament organisers describe the thinking behind the trophy which recognises the hard work, determination and perseverance of the players.
"Throughout the design process Domsky paid specific attention to the mission of the LPGA and what they signify for women in golf. Knowing that she wanted to design something that spoke loudly to these women, she made the decision to use glass. Specifically, dichroic fused glass and sculpted aluminum. Often thought of as very fragile, under a lot of heat glass is incredibly strong - a true parallel to these athletes.
"Domsky then brought in the metal to signify that path and the support system of the LPGA, giving opportunity and a platform, continuing to uplift these women throughout their journey. Finally, the trophy sits atop a crystal base - a base that further elevates this piece and reminds us all how important it is to continue to raise women up."
LPGA THAILAND
We might be seeing a lot more of this trophy depending on how Lilia Vu's career turns out. In February 2023 Vu won this title, her first victory on Tour. The trophy has had various iterations and the current one was designed by emerging Thai artist, Saruta Kiatparkpoom. The eagle was her source of inspiration with the bird 'an embodiment of strength and elegance which very much resembled the golfers who grace the green with their poise and determination'.
And with a golf ball thrown in for good measure.
COGNIZANT FOUNDERS CUP
The tournament is a tribute to the founders of the LPGA and began in 2011. In its inaugural year the players didn't receive a prize fund, instead donating half of the $1m purse to charity and the other half to individual charities chosen by the top-10 finishers. The following year a cash purse was brought in.
The trophy is another to be created by Malcolm DeMille and is a hand-sculpted and cast bronze trophy and it features 'polished highlights, heavy textures and stylised lines representing the fluidity and motion of the iconic LPGA logo'.
It's interesting how few of the game's elite trophies have a figure of a golfer as part of them and this is fairly eye-catching.
MAYBANK CHAMPIONSHIP
The Tiger Trophy certainly stands out from the rest. It was designed by Maybank and intricately crafted by Royal Selangor, the world's largest pewter manufacturer and retailer with more than 40 outlets around the world.
The trophy weighs close to 7kg with the tiger part of the Malaysian coat of arms, symbolising national dignity and pride. The trophy also illustrates the aims of the Maybank Championship to be ‘courageous, creative and collaborative’ while encouraging golfing excellence.
In 2023 we witnessed a nine-hole play-off before Celine Boutier claimed the victory.
PORTLAND CLASSIC
We're unsure when this version of the trophy was brought in but, for sheer size alone, there might be nothing bigger in the game. With two wooden bases, highlighting the winners that date back to 1972, the trophy itself is big enough on its own. There have been 22 different titles of this tournament and no doubt tens of different trophies but surely none bigger than the one that Thailand's Chanettee Wannasaen hoisted in 2023 after coming through Monday qualifying.
