KW88 Gift Award recipients Riley Rennell and Gracen Blount will share how the legendary golfer’s example continues to influence a new generation
TROPHY CLUB, Texas — Kathy Whitworth’s extraordinary legacy will come to life through the voices of two young professional golfers when KW88 Gift Award recipients Riley Rennell and Gracen Blount appear at the Kathy Whitworth 88 Gifting Gala on Sunday, September 27.
During a brief onstage conversation, Rennell and Blount will discuss how Whitworth’s example and values have influenced them—not only as professional golfers pursuing their dreams, but also as young women navigating the challenges, opportunities and uncertainties of their chosen careers.
The gala will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at Trophy Club Golf Club, 500 Trophy Club Drive in Trophy Club, on what would have been Whitworth’s 87th birthday.
“Kathy’s legacy is in motion through these young women” said Cathy Harbin, PGA Master Professional, president of the Kathy Whitworth Foundation and member of the KW88 Gift Award committee. “The KW88 Gift Award was created to give deserving young professionals a meaningful boost as they pursue their dreams, but we’ve learned that its impact goes far beyond financial support. These women become part of the KW88 family. We follow their journeys, celebrate their successes, encourage them through the challenges and, most importantly, watch them carry Kathy’s example with them wherever the game takes them.”
Rennell knew Whitworth and played in the Kathy Whitworth Invitational, giving her a personal connection to the woman whose name the award carries.
Blount did not have the opportunity to meet Whitworth but competed twice in the Kathy Whitworth Championship. Her experience illustrates how Whitworth’s influence continues to reach young golfers who know her through the standards she established, the people she inspired, and the opportunities created in her memory.
Both women were selected as 2026 recipients of the KW88 Gift Award, a program of the nonprofit Kathy Whitworth Foundation. Each recipient receives $5,000 to help meet the considerable costs of pursuing a career in professional golf.
Their appearance at the gala will explore what it means to be selected for the award, welcomed into the KW88 Gift Award family and connected to a legacy defined not only by historic achievement, but also by humility, perseverance, and integrity.
Whitworth won 88 times on the LPGA Tour—more victories on a single professional tour than any woman or man in golf history. Yet those closest to her say she cared as deeply about the kind of person a golfer became as she did about the score on the card.
KW88 Gift Award recipient Gracen Blount
The September 27 celebration will begin with cocktails from 4 to 5 p.m., followed by an upscale cookout and brief program from 5 to 6 p.m. The evening will conclude with a putting challenge from 6 to 7 p.m.
During that challenge, guests will have the extraordinary opportunity to putt with Whitworth’s historic silver “Tom-Boy” putter—the club she used throughout her legendary career, including all 88 of her LPGA Tour victories and all 95 of her second-place finishes. Guests may also take photographs and video as they hold a remarkable piece of golf history in their own hands.
Beer and wine will be complimentary, with spirits available through a cash bar.
Admission is $200 per person, including a $120 contribution to the KW88 Gift Award. Proceeds help the Kathy Whitworth Foundation continue supporting talented young professionals as they pursue their goals on and beyond the golf course.
For Rennell, Blount and their fellow recipients, the award represents more than financial assistance. It is an invitation to carry forward the values of one of golf’s greatest champions—and to become part of a family committed to encouraging them wherever their journeys may lead.
To register or learn more, visit:
https://kathy-whitworth-88-gifting-gala-2026.perfectgolfevent.com/
About the KW88 Gift Award
The KW88 Gift Award is a program of the Kathy Whitworth Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The award provides financial assistance and encouragement to promising young women pursuing careers in professional golf while extending Kathy Whitworth’s legacy of excellence, perseverance, generosity and support for the next generation.
Media Contact:
Barbara Griffith
817-602-5011/ griffith.barbara@att.net
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