Kathy Whitworth ‘88’ Tournament Crowns Golfer with her First Professional Win

Canadian golfer Mary Parsons claimed her first professional win today with the final round of the Kathy Whitworth ‘88’ Golf Tournament, hosted by the ANNIKA Women’s All Pro Tour (WAPT), the official partner of the LPGA’s Epson Tour, at Trophy Club CC, Trophy Club, TX.

Parsons finished -13, while Jacqueline Lucena (-7) and Camille Boyd (-7) tied for second place. Parsons is from British Colombia, Canada, while Lucena hails from Gainesville, FLA, and Boyd from Yorba Linda, CA.

Bettye Odle, Kathy’s life partner and president of the Kathy Whitworth Foundation, announced Mary Parson’s victory. Cathy Harbin, co-chairperson of the Kathy Whitworth ‘88’ Tournament, presented Parsons with the trophy at a celebratory reception.

Parsons received a $10,000 check for her stellar performance. The other 43 golfers who made the cut will each receive a cash prize from the $60,000 purse.

This year’s Kathy Whitworth ‘88’ tournament was even more significant as it fell within the Callaway Race To Stage 2, where the top five players earn membership status to the LPGA’s Epson Tour at the end of the April-August season. Mary Parsons and Jacqueline Lucena both received Epson exemptions for their performances this week.

A full field of 132 golfers from 13 countries and 30 states competed. All are working toward playing in the LPGA.

You may view the final leaderboard here: https://wapt.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/wapt24/event/wapt2412/contest/1/leaderboard.htm

Celebrating its sixth year, the competition has been renamed to pay homage to the legendary Kathy Whitworth’s unmatched 88 LPGA victories.

A talented athlete, Kathy nevertheless struggled during her early days of professional golf competition. When—at the age of 19– she found herself at a crossroads, she was summoned home to Jal, New Mexico. There her parents and a group of friends committed to giving her financial support for at least three years so she could concentrate on finding success. She did just that—and eventually became the first woman to reach career earnings of $1 million on the LPGA Tour.

Some of those early supporters and their descendants—now known as the New Mexico Founders —were honored guests at Trophy Club this week. They are also among the generous contributors to the Kathy Whitworth ‘88’ Gift – a cash award bestowed annually on two up-and-coming professional golfers to help them achieve their goals of playing in the LPGA.

“Kathy Whitworth was always about her craft, her profession, and her game,” said Bettye Odle, addressing the competitors at the celebration. “The inspiration behind the Kathy Whitworth ‘88’ Cash Gift is to gather funds to put in your pockets to help you stay in the game and hone your craft.”