A Ph . D . candidate at William & Mary , Boyce works at the United States Golf Association ( USGA ) as a historian . Her dissertation ’ s working title is “ The Ladies of the Gilded Green : Women and the Emergence of Golf in the United States , 1888-1905 .” It should be finished by the end of 2024 .

The Gilded Age was a turning point in American society when the nation morphed from rural to urban and from agriculture to industry . There is robust debate around the era ’ s periodization ; Boyce chose 1888 to 1905 .

The USGA first sanctioned golf for women in 1895 , creating the U . S . Women ’ s Amateur Championship . The winner of the 18-hole event at Meadow Brook on Long Island was Mrs . Charles Brown .

Her first name ? Not even USGA historians knew . It took them years of research to discover that it was Lucy .

“ I think that aspect of her story in telling her history is important ,” Boyce said . “ It paints a picture of the challenges we face as historians in telling women ’ s history . Their names may not even be recorded . Something as simple as that can make it a challenge to trace .”

On the other hand , “ shocked ” is the word Boyce used to describe the fawning attention the media gave to the women ’ s game during that time . There were front-page stories , magazine-cover shots , gallons of news ink devoted to women golfers .

“ I sort of expected women ’ s golf to be a sideshow to men ’ s golf , and I was interested in the challenges women faced in legitimizing themselves as athletes ,” Boyce said . “ I went in with that assumption — and I could not have been more wrong .”

Possibly , Boyce theorized , it was because golf then appealed almost exclusively to the very wealthy . The women featured on those covers and in profiles were members of the elite class . As their numbers dwindled , so did the media ’ s infatuation .

Lucy Brown ’ s winning score at Meadow Brook was 69-63 — 132 , outlasting the other 12 players in the field . Facing a nine-hole course , Brown shot 69 the first time around ; after lunch , she came back with a 63 .

In heralding the herculean leap women ’ s golf made in the ensuing five-plus decades , legendary journalist Herbert Warren Wind pointed out that at the 1952 Richmond Open in California , Patty Berg lost her way to the golf course , borrowed a sports shirt from a fellow pro , and purchased a new putter in the pro shop . She then torched the 6,300-yard , par-72 course in 64 stokes . That ’ s just one stroke more for 18 than Brown needed for nine .

Eight years earlier , the Women ’ s Professional Golf Association had been formed . Despite the presence of Berg , Betty Jameson , Louise Suggs , and the luminescent Babe Didrikson Zaharias , it folded , replaced by the Ladies Professional Golf Association .

Berg and Zaharias were founders , and Zaharias was the league ’ s lightning rod , helping feed America ’ s interest in the sport by becoming the first American to win the British Ladies Championship .

Much more recently , it took players such as the charismatic Nancy Lopez , the unconquerable Annika Sorenstam , and the historically precocious Michelle Wie , to rebuild the interest the LPGA enjoys today .

A captivating curiosity , 10-year-old Wie was the youngest player to qualify for the U . S . Women ’ s Amateur Public Links . Three years later , she became the youngest player to qualify for an LPGA tournament by thrashing the field in the Hawaiian State Open Women ’ s Division .

Lucy Brown addressing the ball .

Deserving more praise than they are getting here , Kathy Whitworth and Mickey Wright added a dignified legitimacy to the women ’ s game .

At the U . S . Women ’ s Open at Pebble Beach this past summer , the USGA constructed a temporary museum with about 50 artifacts . Boyce said the two most popular items were the putter Whitworth used to win all her record 88 championships during a 57-year career and Wright ’ s Bullseye putter , her primary weapon in all but one of her 82 LPGA victories .

“ We even brought Wright ’ s putter on the Sunday ( TV ) broadcast ,” Boyce said . “ That much interest tells me their era definitely had a strong impact on the game .”

Last October , Lexi Thompson competed in the PGA Tour ’ s Shriners Children ’ s Open . Just seven women have played in a PGA Tour event , including Zaharias — the only one to make the cut .

Some argued inviting Thompson was a gimmick to boost attendance . That was true in Zaharias ’ day .

Thompson missed the cut by three strokes . Still , maybe her appearance heralds the next era : The Age of Equality . Boyce certainly hopes so .

COURTESY KATIE BOYCE