History
The Titleholders Championship was founded in 1937 as the women's counterpart to the Masters.
Like the Masters, it was played in Augusta, Georgia, though at the Augusta Country Club, not at Augusta National. And, like the Masters, it was an invitational tournament. The invited golfers were champions of various amateur and professional events during the previous year.
Because there were few professional events for women at the time, most of the entrants were amateurs. The Titleholders didn't offer prize money until 1948, when a prize fund of $600 was established, with half of that going to the professional placing highest in the event.
The tournament was discontinued after 1966, but was briefly revived in 1972 at Southern Pines, North Carolina.
A new Titleholders was founded in 1996. Although the field is now dominated by professionals, the winners of the nine important amateur championships are also invited to compete. Total prize money has reached $1 million, with a first prize of $300,000. However, the original Titleholders was considered a major women's event, while the new tournament is not.