As best anyone can tell the WAGs phenomenon - an acronym for “wives and girlfriends” of famous athletes - dates back to British football and the rabid tabloid press bobbing in its cultural wake in the early 2000s. The partners of successful sportsmen had been noted and occasionally reported on in the past but the megawatt pairing of David Beckham and Victoria Adams, better known as Posh Spice from the English girl group the Spice Girls, elevated coverage to a new level.

WAGs were first spotted in the golf world at The Belfry in England for the 2002 Ryder Cup. The jingoistic nature of the international competition gave wives and girlfriends almost as much coverage at the players. By the 2023 edition in Italy the PGA Tour on its official website blared the headline: “Ryder Cup teams, WAGs dazzle at extravagant gala.” The opening line of the story went, “Step aside, men. It's time for the ladies to shine.”

These days it is not enough for a significant other to blend into a gallery following her man inside the ropes. On the 72nd green WAGs are maneuvered into advantageous camera positions and identified by name so the television announcers can weave her story into the narrative unfolding in the tournament. If her man wins a conspicuous PDA is practically mandatory for the audience at home.

When Rory McIlroy burst onto the world golf stage int he early 2010s Gary Player offered some unsolicited advice to the emerging superstar, more than a half-century his junior, “For a man like Rory with talent galore, he's got to make sure he has a woman like I've got, who has been married to me for 56 years, that has only encouraged me to do well and made sacrifices.”

That formula worked for the Black Knight but how about other golfing legends? What role did their ladies play in the success they enjoyed on the course? This is the book that looks at the very best golfers of all time through the lens of their wives and girlfriends. Oh, and one husband.