Kathy Whitworth Invitational Celebrates 20 Years of Elite Girls' Golf, Giving Back to Fort Worth Youth

FORT WORTH, Texas, March 4, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Kathy Whitworth Invitational will celebrate its twentieth annual tournament March 10-12, 2019, 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 partnered with a beneficiary: the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tarrant County.

The 2019 Kathy Whitworth Invitational is co-chaired by former teammates and original competitors in the 1999 tournament, Jennifer Bley Sweeny and Lauren Kwedar Cockerell.

"Competitive golf opens doors for young women. In starting this tournament 20 years ago, the founders made an investment in generations of female golfers," said Ms. Sweeny. "Taking it a step further, the founders also made an investment in the young children served by the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Tarrant County. This tournament has had a tremendous impact on me personally, and it's an honor to co-chair the twentieth with my friend and former high school teammate."

Kathy Whitworth, the tournament's namesake and professional golf's winningest champion, is an active committee member.

"Golf for women has changed tremendously, and I'm so proud to be a part of this tournament that is helping to propel that evolution," said Ms. Whitworth.

To mark this year's milestone, the tournament planning committee invited a number of community members to participate as ambassadors.

"It's wonderful to be celebrating 20 incredible years," continued Ms. Sweeny. "It's thanks to the people like our ambassadors, who have helped in a thousand ways over the decades, that we have reached this twentieth anniversary."

2019 KWI Ambassadors

• The Bley Family
• The Kwedar Family
• The Potthoff Family
• The Walton Family
• Lindy Miller
• Marty Leonard
• Jim and Jane Anthony
• The Rainwater Foundation
• Cindy Adams
• Nicholas & Louella Martin
• Martin Land and Investment
• Angela Stanford
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County
• Jim McClean Academy
• The Geren/Pate Family
• Amon G. Carter Foundation
• Dan & June Jenkins
• Bob Lansford
• Dan Lowrance
• Mina Hardin
• Mira Vista Country Club

2019 Notable Competitors
Included in this year's field is 2018 KWI Champion Rachel Heck, the number one girl golfer in the world, according to Golfweek Magazine, as well as Anne Chen, ranked 14th by Golfweek. Both Ms. Heck and Ms. Chen will graduate high school in 2020.

"We're thankful to be a part of the Kathy Whitworth Invitational - a tournament that impacts the futures of so many promising girls through competitive opportunity," said Daphne Barlow Stigliano, CEO & President of Boys & Girls Clubs of Tarrant County. "We work hard everyday to help change the trajectory of children's lives throughout Tarrant County, and this event aligns with and helps us in our mission."

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.

The 2019 Kathy Whitworth Invitational Underwriter is the Rainwater Charitable Foundation. Additional major sponsors include the Nicholas & Louella Martin Foundation, Penrose Group, LLC; Olympus Property, POPP | HUTCHESON, Frost Bank, Amon G. Carter Foundation, Bley Investment Group, and Spring Creek Barbecue, among other generous donors. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. For more information or to support the tournament, visit http://www.kathywhitworthinvitational.com or call (817) 834-4711.

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 http://www.bgcgtc.org.

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SOURCE Kwedar PR, LLC