"Patty was a wonderfully talented woman who was dedicated to golf, to growing the game and to making the sport fun for golfers of all ages," LPGA Commissioner Carolyn Bivens said in a tribute made on the official LPGA web site this week.

"She was a pioneer, an athlete, a mentor, a friend and an entertainer. She had a sense of humor that sparked a smile in all who met her.

"As one of the founders of the LPGA, Patty took the LPGA to new heights, and it was the work, passion and dedication that she and her fellow co-founders exhibited that has allowed the Association to grow and prosper for so many years.

"I, along with the entire LPGA family, mourn Patty's passing. We will forever celebrate her legacy."

Berg was born on February 13, 1918, in Minneapolis and discovered golf in 1930 at the age of 13.

This while playing 'a bit of American football' as a quarterback for the Minneapolis sandlot squad named the '50th Street Tigers'.

In 1934, Berg won the Minneapolis City Championship to claim the first of her 28 career amateur titles won over a 7-year span.

Among those was a coveted US Amateur Championship which she won in 1938.

Berg, who was to earn LPGA Tour and World Golf Hall of Fame memberships, won three majors during her amateur career - back-to-back Titleholders Championships in 1937, 1938 and 1939 - and was named as the Associated Press Athlete of the Year in 1938, an award that was to come her way again in 1943 and 1955).

She turned professional in 1940, but had played very little golf before a car accident in 1941 put her out of action for 18 months.

Shortly after regaining her health, Berg began a three-year tour of duty as a lieutenant in the Marine Corps during World War II.

She continued to play golf during that time, winning two pro events in 1943 and in 1945.

From 1948 to the end of the 1962 season, Berg exploded with a run that will almost certainly endure as one of the best in the history of professional golf.

In all she won 44 titles during that time, including nine majors.

But perhaps more importantly, Berg was one of the founding members of the LPGA Tour in 1950.

The 13 founders were involved in all aspects of professional golf - they played, organized tournaments, established rules and by-laws and supervised membership.

Berg served as the LPGA's first president from 1950-52 and was the Tour money leader in 1954, 1955 and 1957.

She ended her career with 60 overall victories and 15 majors, the latter of which is still a Tour record.

Berg had a huge collection of awards and honors to her credit.

The LPGA created the Patty Berg Award in 1978 for outstanding contributions to women's golf and Berg herself won the award in 1990.

She is a member of numerous Halls of Fame, including the All-American Collegiate Hall of Fame and the University of Minnesota Women's Athletic Department Hall of Fame.

At one time or another she was named as one of the '100 Heroes of Golf' and 'Golfer of the Decade' by GOLF magazine and was selected as one of the '50 Greatest Golfers of All Time' by Golf Digest in 2000.

Berg was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Women's Golf in 1951 and became one of six inaugural members of the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame in 1967.

In addition, she has been inducted into the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Hall of Fame, the Women's Sports Hall of Fame, the PGA of America Golf Hall of Fame, the University of Minnesota Hall of Fame, the American, Minnesota and Florida Sports Halls of Fame, the All-American Collegiate Hall of Fame, the University of Minnesota Women's Athletics Department Hall of Fame and the United States Marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame.

It goes on.

Berg and the 12 other LPGA Founders were honored in 2000 with the Commissioner's Award in recognition of their role in furthering the cause of women's golf.

Berg authored three books on golf, became the first woman to receive the Humanitarian Sports Award from the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation in 1976, and was honored by the Southwest Florida Regional Medical Center with the dedication of the Patty Berg Cancer Center in 1993.

She was the honorary chairperson for the 2002 Solheim Cup tournament held at her home course, Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minnesotta and raised the US flag during the Opening Ceremony.

Her funeral will take place on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2006, at 10 am at the Church of the Resurrection of our Lord, 8121 Cypress Lake Drive, Fort Myers, in Florida.

With thanks to the LPGA.com who gathered all the information about the life of this remarkable woman