Carol Mann, the golfer who won 38 LPGA tour titles and two majors, died at the age of 77.
The iconic golfer was at her home in The Woodlands, Texas, when she passed away Sunday, ESPN noted.
Mann first started playing golf at age 9 but it would take another four years before she began to focus seriously on the sport, according to the PGA.
Her talent, combined with the guidance of 1986 PGA Teacher of the Year, Manuel de la Torre, made the young golfer unstoppable.
She went on to clinch 38 LPGA Tour events and two majors, which ultimately earned her a spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame as well as the role of president of the LPGA from 1973 to 1976.
Mann retired from competition in 1981, and in 2002, she was elected to PGA Membership.
Women's golfing has been met with its fair share of resistance and prominent athletes such as Mann have been integral in campaigning for equal rights within the sporting domain.
An indication of the obstacles women golfers have faced over the years is reflected in a statement made at the turn of the 19th century by Lord Moncrieff who believed women should not hit the ball any further than 60 to 70 yards, Women's Golf Journal noted.
This he said, that was "not because we doubt a lady’s power to make a longer drive but because that cannot well be done without raising the club above the shoulder."
He added that "we do not presume to dictate but we must observe that the posture and gestures requisite for a full swing are not particularly graceful when the player is clad in female dress."
Issues of equality re-emerged in 2014, when LPGA members spoke out against Golf Digest, which featured a risqué photo of Paulina Gretzky, daughter of hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and fiancée of Dustin Johnson, an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour, on its cover.
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