With a childhood dream renewed, the KW88 Gift Award recipient carries Kathy Whitworth’s legacy forward
FORT WORTH, Texas — Samantha Wagner knew what it felt like to earn an LPGA Tour card—and to lose it. After close calls and a year she described as particularly difficult, the golfer who had dreamed since childhood of competing among the world’s best kept working toward another chance.
This week she earned it.
Wagner finished 15th in the Epson Tour’s final Race for the Card standings, securing the last of 15 available LPGA Tour cards for the 2027 season. After competing on the LPGA Tour in 2023 and subsequently losing her card, she had earned her way back.
“It is incredible. I’ve had a lot of close calls since I first lost my card, and last year was really rough on me,” Wagner said in comments published by the Epson Tour.
This time, she returns with more than renewed playing status.
“I’m back here a year later with a lot more happiness in my life off the golf course and a lot of other things settled in my life,” she said. “I think it was the right time, and everything worked out exactly as it should.”
Along the way, Wagner became part of a community committed to helping women keep pursuing their professional golf dreams. She was one of five recipients of the 2026 KW88 Gift Award, receiving $5,000 in financial support through the Kathy Whitworth Foundation. A four-time participant in the Kathy Whitworth Invitational, Wagner already had a connection to the champion whose legacy the award honors.
Away from the leaderboard, Wagner’s life includes pursuits that reveal another side of the determined competitor. A University of Florida graduate with a degree in psychology, she has made blankets for child advocacy centers during tour stops and is training her golden retriever, Augustus, to become a service dog. Her ambitions extend beyond her own success: she hopes one day to represent the United States in the Solheim Cup and Olympic Games.
Her return to the LPGA follows four top-10 finishes on the Epson Tour in 2026 and a victory at the 2025 FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship. She has also competed in three major championships and represented the United States on the 2013 Junior Solheim Cup team – a team captained by Kathy Whitworth.
The KW88 Gift Award’s inspiration comes from a moment when Whitworth herself needed someone to believe in her.
At 19, after a difficult first year on the LPGA Tour, Whitworth was struggling financially and questioning whether she could continue. Her parents invited her home to Jal, New Mexico, where local business leaders joined them around the family’s kitchen table. They reaffirmed their faith in her abilities and assembled financial support that allowed her to remain on Tour for another three years.
That helping hand gave Whitworth room to pursue a career that ultimately produced 88 LPGA Tour victories. The KW88 Gift Award carries that act of faith forward.
“Kathy believed in giving young women a helping hand as they pursued their dreams in golf,” said Bettye Odle, chairman of the Kathy Whitworth Foundation and Whitworth’s longtime partner. “Samantha has earned this moment through her talent, determination and hard work.”
For the foundation, Wagner’s achievement gives that mission a deeply personal meaning.
“The award is meant to provide encouragement and financial breathing room to women pursuing professional golf—and one of the women we supported is now headed to the LPGA Tour,” said Cathy Harbin, president of the Kathy Whitworth Foundation. “That is Kathy’s legacy in motion in a very tangible way.”
Wagner’s comeback was among several encouraging performances by the KW88 family at the season-ending Epson Tour Championship in Indian Wells, California. Four award recipients competed in Sunday’s final round. Katherine Muzifinished eighth at 10 under par after contending near the top of the leaderboard. Anna Nordfors closed with rounds of 66 and 68 to tie for 21st, while Christine Wang completed what Harbin described as a breakout season.
Now, as Wagner prepares for her return to the LPGA Tour, the foundation is inviting another group of women to pursue their own ambitions with the support of the KW88 community.
Applications are open for the 2027 KW88 Gift Award, which will provide five women pursuing professional golf careers with $5,000 each. Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to professional golf, a need for financial assistance and the determination to pursue their goals.
Applications must be completed and submitted by October 26, 2026. To learn more and apply, visit the online application. Previous recipients are not eligible to receive the award a second time.
About the KW88 Gift Award
The KW88 Gift Award is a program of the Kathy Whitworth Foundation honoring the legendary golfer’s desire to help women pursue careers in professional golf. Named for Whitworth’s 88 LPGA Tour victories, the award extends her legacy through financial assistance, encouragement and support for another generation of women committed to the game.
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