Kathy Whitworth Invitational Celebrates 25 Years of Elite Girls’ Golf, Giving Back to Fort Worth Youth

Mike King, President and Chief Executive Officer of Volunteers of America 25th Anniversary Honorary Tournament Chair

FORT WORTH, Texas, March 6, 2024– The Kathy Whitworth Invitational continues to celebrate the memory of Kathy Whitworth. The twenty-fifth annual tournament will be held March 10-12, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas. The tournament was founded by a group of local parents seeking a competitive golf platform for their daughters – something that was in much shorter supply two decades ago, according to the founders. Today, competitive girls’ golf is skyrocketing, and the Kathy Whitworth Invitational annually draws a local, regional, national, and international field of top-ranked girls as well as college coaches to the Fort Worth event. Additionally, since the tournament’s early days, the competition has championed as beneficiary: the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tarrant County, the First Tee and Youth on Course.

“The Kathy Whitworth Invitational is the most prestigious amateur golf tournament in the country for junior female players.  It boasts a list of past champions and players that reads like a who’s who of the LPGA Tour.  I consider it an honor to serve as Honorary Chair of the tournament in this 25th anniversary year.  Kathy Whitworth was a hero to the golf world and this tournament is a great statement on her outstanding legacy.  May we all strive to live up to this legacy.”

– Mike King, President and Chief Executive Officer of Volunteers of America
25th Anniversary Honorary Tournament Chair.

2024 Notable Competitors

Included in this year’s field is 2023 Kathy Whitworth Invitational Junior Girls Champion Natalie Yen, West Linn, Oregon, recent winner of the 16th Hilton Grand Vacations ANNIKA Invitational

About The Kathy Whitworth Invitational
The Kathy Whitworth Invitational was established in 1999 with the goal of providing talented junior girl golfers the opportunity to participate at the highest tier of competitive golf on a premier championship course and to generate funds to support the mission of Boys & Girls Clubs of Tarrant County and the First Tee.

After over two decades many the championship alumni have been invited to play in the Augusta Women’s National Championship, Jr. Solheim Cup Teams, Solheim Cup Teams, Curtis Cup Teams. NCAA Championship Teams include Rachel Heck, KWI 2018 champion, who earned college player of the year honors in 2021. And the LPGA, including Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Nelly Korda, Jessica Korda, Christina Kim, Stacy Lewis, Jane Rah, Brittany Lang, Jane Park, Cheyenne Knight, Alexa Pano and many more.

Kathy Whitworth, the tournament’s namesake is professional golf’s winningest champion with 88 tour wins. Her many honors include Solheim Cup Captain, member PGA Hall of Fame, Honorary Member of the North Texas Hall of Fame LPGA Hall of Fame, World Golf Hall of Fame, Texas Sports Hall of Fame, Women’s Sports Hall of Fame, honors. Kathy was an active member of the Kathy Whitworth Invitational Junior Golf Championship tournament committee and Kathy Whitworth Foundation. One of the greatest golfers. A friend. Humble and kind. We continue this tournament in her honor.

“Being involved with the Kathy Whitworth Invitational has been a wonderful experience and is very special to me. The tournament‘s affiliation with various charities has provided great satisfaction knowing we are helping these amazing young people attain their dreams.”
– Kathy Whitworth

For more information or to support the tournament, visit https://kathywhitworthinvitational.com/

About Kathy Whitworth Foundation

Kathy Whitworth Foundation is a Fort Worth-based 501(c)(3), celebrates Kathy Whitworth’s legendary career by supporting participation in junior girls golf.  The foundation is committed to inspiring young women to embrace confidence, strong values, and responsibility  which will in turn provide opportunity to develop leadership and sportsmanship skills for life-long success.

“Kathy Whitworth has left a wonderful mark on golf, starting with being the winningest golf professional of all time and moving into giving back to young people and local communities through golf. The Kathy Whitworth Foundation gives structure to her goals and solidifies her vision of making a positive difference in the lives of many.”
– Cathy Harbin, PGA Master Professional and Board member.

To learn more, visit https://kathywhitworthfoundation.org.

About the Boys and Girls Club of Tarrant County
On October 1, 2018, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth and Boys & Girls Clubs of Arlington joined forces to form Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County, combining their collective resources to make a more powerful and positive impact on more youth across the area with programs of increasing diversity and quality. The two organizations share a rich history serving Tarrant County youth for more than 90 years, offering a multitude of programs in 26 local Club locations and schools. The Club provides special programs for more than 23,000 boys and girls in three priority outcome areas: Academic Success, Good Character and Citizenship and Healthy Lifestyles. For more information about the Clubs visit https://bgcgtc.org

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About the First Tee of Fort Worth
First Tee is a youth development organization that enables kids to build the strength of character that empowers them through a lifetime of new challenges. By seamlessly integrating the game of golf with a life skills curriculum, we create active learning experiences that build inner strength, self-confidence, and resilience that kids can carry to everything they do. We’re Building Game Changers through our junior golf programs. Learn more by visiting https://firstteeftworth.org