Kathy Whitworth

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth will benefit from the 2010 Kathy Whitworth Invitational (www.kathywhitworthinvitational.com) to be held March 14-16 at the Mira Vista Country Club in Fort Worth.

Proceeds from this international junior girls golf championship nationally ranked by Golfweek/Titleist and recognized by the AJGA Polo Golf Rankings will benefit the non-profit organization, which helps more than 12,000 disadvantaged Fort Worth youth each year. Sponsorship opportunities are still available, and details can be found at www.kathywhitworthinvitational.com

Whitworth, seven-time LPGA Player of the Year, boasts six major wins and 88 career wins, an all-time record for both men’s and women’s U.S. Tours. She was the Associated Press Athlete of the Year in 1965 and 1967, was inducted into the LPGA’s Hall of Fame in 1975 and won the PGA First Lady of Golf Award in 2006.

This year, 72 girls aged 12 to 18, from as close as Fort Worth and as far as South Korea, will compete in the Kathy Whitworth Invitational. Fourteen of those girls hail from the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and they include Tezira Abe, Arlington; Talia Campbell, Dallas; Grace Choi, Dallas; Emily Collins, Colleyville; Susanna Feather, Fort Worth; Katie Grady, Mansfield; Kaci McCarten, Plano; April McCoy, Carrollton; Chelsea Mocio, Fort Worth; Rachel Mulkey, Flower Mound; Jennifer Park, Carrollton; Natalie Reeves, Euless; Amy Ruengmateekhun, Garland; and Chaney Uhles, Fort Worth.

International competitors will include golfers from Taiwan, Thailand, Czech Republic, South Korea, Mexico, Canada, England, Italy, Japan, Philippines and Trinidad and Tobago.

The Kathy Whitworth Invitational was established in 1999 with two primary goals: to give talented girls 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 the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth.

“The young women who take part in this tournament are truly the golf stars of the future,” said Kathy Whitworth, “and what an honor it is for all of us to be part of the amazing work that the Boys & Girls Club accomplishes in this community.”

Whitworth currently resides in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and co-leads a youth golf clinic each year with the Mira Vista Country Club golf staff, prior to the invitational. This year, the clinic will be held at 5:30 p.m. March 11 and will include more than 100 disadvantaged youth from this area.
call 817.834.4711 or visit www.kathywhitworthinvitational.com for details.

Kathy Whitworth. Photo by Mike Lewis.

The late Byron Nelson, long the official cheerleader for Metroport Meals on Wheels’ Golf Tournament, could never be replaced.

The beloved icon served for years and years as honorary chairman of the annual golf tournament for the organization (www.metroportmow.org), helping make it the big success that it is. A picture with him was a big draw, making the fundraiser an annual sell-out. When he died in 2006, it was a huge loss in many ways, including to Metroport Meals on Wheels’ annual event.

Well, now another big name golfer is teeing off as honorary chair. Kathy Whitworth, named LPGA Player of the Year seven times and Associated Press Athlete of the Year twice, took the honors this year for Metroport Meals on Wheels. She was among those at the Sunday night dinner preceding the golf tournament, and then she was spotlighted at the tournament the next day.

The Tee-off Dinner, chaired by Sandy King, was a great way to kick off the fundraiser, in part because Rick Stacy was pretty darn funny as the auctioneer.

Some things don’t change, and evidently there are lots of kids who still want to grow up to be a firefighter or a police officer. A day spent eating at the station, riding in a fire truck or visiting the jail–buyer’s choice–was a hot auction item at the fundraising dinner. The Southlake Department of Safety and Chief Robert Finn donated the special outing for a child, and eventually the chief made it an offer for two. Ring the bell on that firetruck–he agreed to donate two special days, and two were sold at $5,000 a piece.  

And did you hear about the dog who got to stay for dinner? Nitro, a 12-week-old llewellin setter, was the honored guest at pre-tournament dinner. This one was not the usual puppy you see being cradled in someone’s arms before the live auction; Nitro was on a leash and wagging his tail to be taken home.

Dinner was a Southwestern salad, margarita chicken and key lime pie, which went over well with the crowd. Singer Cody Jinks’ concert followed dinner but with tee times early the next day, not too many stayed to boot scoot.

Still golf tournament chairwoman Debbie Vinson wasn’t worried. She knew the auction had made enough money that she could go home happy whether boots scooted or not.

Former president George H.W. Bush chose parachuting out of a plane to mark his 85th, but he’s not the only senior citizen who plans a sporty birthday celebration.

Teeing off on her 90th birthday will be June Rains. The golfer, who began playing in the 1950s, will participate in Meals on Wheels’ annual fundraising golf tournament, using a golf club to celebrate nine decades. The tournament, set for Monday on Trophy Club Country Club’s two courses, benefits the non-profit organization that delivers meals to shut-ins.

Rains, who won four women’s club championships at Oak Cliff Country Club, punctuates this year’s tournament, which sports a decidedly female flair. LPGA legend Kathy Whitworth, for whom one of the Trophy Club courses is named, is serving as this year’s honorary chair and will be available for photos with all teams.

Also new this year is a golf flight dedicated exclusively to women golfers.

The tournament, among the largest in north Texas, raised approximately $90,000 last year to fund meal programs for seniors and shut-ins in Tarrant, Denton and Wise counties.  Close to 60,000 meals were delivered last year, and the annual tournament serves as a major fundraiser for the program.

The tournament, which features both morning and afternoon shotgun starts, is preceded by the Annual Tee-Off Dinner and Auction at Trophy Club Country Club. This year’s dinner will include a benefit concert by Roanoke resident Cody Jinks, after the auction conducted by Rick Stacy.

Tickets for the dinner are $30, and limited spots are still available for the golf tournament. Contact Metroport Meals on Wheels at 817-491-1141 or check www.metroportmow.org, for more information.