FROM THE EDITOR
LPGA Hall of Famer Kathy Whitworth, who has 88 tour victories to her credit, recently added another honor to her résumé. She has been selected by the Captains Club as honoree of the 27th Memorial Tournament May 20-26 at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.
Kathy, who still finds time to teach at Trophy Club Country Club near Dallas, recently honored us with the article. It’s part history, part storytelling, part instruction — and a fun “read.” For the article’s premise, we harkened back to the days when Kathy was voted “Best Trouble Shot Player” on the LPGA Tour. Characteristic of her sense of humor, Kathy recalls: “I took offense at it at first.” Thankfully, not enough to decline the re-enactment of some of her more dramatic tournament “saves.” Her advice: “Don’t hit a shot you haven’t practiced.”
Kathy recently reminisced about the “magic moments” of her career and passed along some “Whit-icisms.”
Favorite fan comment: When Kathy became the first woman to surpass $1 million in earnings in a year, a man came up to her at a tournament and asked, “What are you going to do with all that money?” She answered, “I’ve already spent it.”
On being the first U.S. captain of the Solheim Cup: When asked what she did, Kathy answered, “I stayed out of the way. What do you say when you have eight of the top players on the team? Can I get you a soda?”
On teaching golf: “I didn’t know how difficult this game was until I started teaching.”
About her longtime instructor Harvey Penick: “There are times when I am teaching and I know Harvey is looking down and wants to say, ‘shut up.’ ”
The best golfer: “Mickey Wright.”
On the possibility of Tiger Woods’ breaking her record of tournament wins: “Come on, Tiger. It would be great if he broke the record. It would be wonderful.”
A regret: “I didn’t get a chance to meet Babe [Zaharias].”
Best “Babe” story: Babe was with fellow golfer and friend Peggy Kirk Bell when Peggy was having her first daughter. A nurse came into the room and told Babe that the President of the United States was on the phone for her. Babe instructed, “Tell him I’ll call him back.”
When people ask about how “tough” it was in the early years of the LPGA: “I’m surprised. I thought we were doing great. I just thought it was the grandest thing in this world.”
On golf: “You’ll never conquer the game. There’s always the next shot. There’s always tomorrow.”
Patricia Baldwin
Editor in Chief