The 2023 Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be in November at the PGA’s new home in Frisco, Texas.
The PGA of America’s 2023 Hall of Fame class will feature three PGA professionals, an LPGA legend, a past PGA president and a famous broadcaster.
The PGA announced its next Hall inductee list Monday, with the official ceremony set for Nov. 8, at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort in Texas.
PGA Members Robert Dolan (Middle Atlantic PGA Section), Don Wegrzyn (Illinois PGA Section) and Herb Wimberly (Sun Country PGA Section) will be inducted alongside past president Suzy Whaley, LPGA legend Kathy Whitworth and CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz at the 107th PGA Annual Meeting. The PGA’s Hall started in 1940.
“It is an incredible honor for the PGA of America to recognize and celebrate our six inductees who have made a real impact on the game of golf and the countless individuals they’ve inspired along the way,” said PGA of America President John Lindert.
Whitworth, who died on Christmas Eve in 2022, collected 88 victories during her 23-year career, the most tournament victories by a professional golfer. She was the LPGA’s leading money winner eight times, Player of the Year seven times and won the Vare Trophy (lowest scoring average) seven times.
Suzy Whaley is a Master Professional who became the first woman elected to serve as PGA President in 2018. She played on the LPGA in 1990 and 1993 and qualified for the 2003 Greater Hartford Open (now known as the Travelers Championship), becoming the first woman since Babe Zaharias in 1945 to play in a PGA Tour event.
Nantz is a member of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. He’s also in the Pro Football and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fames. A three-time Emmy Award winner and five-time National Sportscaster of the Year, he’s been with CBS since 1985 and joined the network’s golf coverage in 1986.
Here are five nuggets from Whitworth’s “Little Book of Wisdom” that are sure to inspire and shed light on the legendary player.
For those who knew Kathy Whitworth, it’s easy to picture her sitting down across the table telling all of the stories recorded in her “Little Book of Golf Wisdom.” First published in 2007 with Jay Golden, this little green book isn’t much bigger than a cell phone, yet it’s jam-packed with gems for golfers of all abilities.
Whitworth died suddenly on Christmas Eve at the age of 83, and flipping through the pages of her book now feels like a long conversation with the winningest professional golfer in history. One we’d give anything to have one last time.
Whitworth won 88 times on the LPGA from 1962 to 1985. She won the LPGA Player of the Year seven times, the Vare Trophy for lowest scoring average seven times and the money title on eight occasions.
Broken down into a series of small vignettes, Whitworth’s book is a breeze to read and gives valuable insight from a player who nearly quit the game after a rookie year that saw her average at 80.30.
Here are five nuggets from Whitworth’s “Little Book of Wisdom” that are sure to inspire and shed light on the legendary player:
Whitworth won 88 titles on the LPGA, six more than Mickey Wright, Sam Snead and Tiger Woods.
Kathy Whitworth, the winningest player in professional golf history, died suddenly on Christmas Eve with family and friends. She was 83.
“Kathy left this world the way she lived her life, loving, laughing and creating memories,” said Bettye Odle, long-time partner of Whitworth, in an LPGA release.
Rhonda Glenn, author of “The Illustrated History of Women’s Golf,” wrote that Whitworth’s strength was her determination and inability to quit. She wanted to be the greatest player in the world and wasn’t afraid to admit it.
Born in Monahans, Texas, and raised in Jal, New Mexico, near the Texas border, Whitworth’s family owned a hardware store. Her father, Morris, was elected mayor three times. She took up golf at age 15 when the friends with whom she played tennis wanted to give it a try.
“I don’t remember playing tennis again,” Whitworth told Golfweek some years ago. “Once I started playing golf, I kind of put myself on a diet – mother always wanted me on a diet – but I would go out and practice so I wouldn’t be by the refrigerator.”
She quickly developed an appetite for winning, joining the LPGA at age 19.
Whitworth won 88 titles on the LPGA, six more professional titles than Mickey Wright, Sam Snead and Tiger Woods. When Annika Sorenstam announced her retirement in 2008, Whitworth’s phone lit up. Her LPGA record of 88 victories was safe; Annika wasn’t interested in chasing.
Whitworth wasn’t exactly relieved by the news that her record will stand for quite some time. She didn’t aim to set the standard for professional golf, nor did she covet the achievement.
“(While playing) I wasn’t aware there was a record of tournament wins,” Whitworth told Golfweek. “Didn’t know how many tournaments Sam (Snead) had or Mickey (Wright) had. I feel like Mickey would’ve won 100 if she hadn’t quit.”
We are very sorry to hear about the sudden passing of Kathy. As the LPGA‘s all-time wins, leader, and a total class act, she will be dearly missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and close friends. Thanks for setting the bar so high, Kathy. RIP pic.twitter.com/WNpZVLl67y
Whitworth reached her 88th victory in 1985 at the United Virginia Bank Classic but didn’t officially retire until 20 years later.
At a celebration for her 80th birthday, Whitworth noted that records are meant to be broken, and she enjoyed the fact that Woods’ victory at the 2019 Masters reignited the conversation of whether hers will ever be matched.
At 80 years old Whitworth could recall with great detail everything from her first lesson with Harvey Penick (they spent three days on the grip) to the amount of her first check ($33).
Whitworth liked to talk about how she almost quit the game after that first year on tour in 1959. A conversation with her mom and dad at the kitchen table coupled with a quote she read from Betsy Rawls – “I always work harder for an 80 than I do a 70” – turned everything around.
She learned how to grind out the bad rounds and turn them into good. A seven-time Player of the Year and Vare Trophy winner, Whitworth finished second 93 times. Her first LPGA victory came in 1962, and her last in ’85.
She credited her “winning syndrome” to a mindset learned through years of discipline, becoming an expert at focused concentration.
“The bad rounds never became really bad,” said Whitworth, “and the good rounds became better.”
The statuesque and dignified-looking Whitworth never had a hair out of place. The seventh member of the LPGA Hall of Fame was as modest as she was kind.
Kathy Whitworth (courtesy LPGA)
Whitworth wasn’t an LPGA founder, but she was a pioneer in those early days of the tour, performing whatever task it took to ensure success. Glenn noted that near the end of her LPGA career, Whitworth agreed to serve a fourth term as tour president. One of the issues she faced was that of an all-exempt tour.
“The LPGA doesn’t owe us older players anything,” Whitworth told Glenn. “The LPGA doesn’t owe me anything. All this stuff about what we’ve done for the LPGA, why, I owe the LPGA everything.
“We’ve got to make way for these younger players. People don’t even know who we are, unless we keep our names in front of the public. You watch, when I quit, after a couple of years, people will forget who I ever was.”
That never happened, of course. Whitworth’s record and her generous spirit will never be forgotten.
Of all the Whitworth stories, however, one involving her friend Renee Powell, the second Black to play on the LPGA after Althea Gibson, stands above the rest in revealing her character.
Fifty-plus ago, when players arrived at their hotel for the week, the desk informed Powell that they didn’t have a registration for her. It had been “lost.”
Whitworth walked in and told the hotel employees: “Either she stays, or we all go.”
The golf world will never stop celebrating the humble woman from Jal, New Mexico, who knew what it meant to win at life.
