Christine Wang’s sixth-place finish in Arkansas places her and Samantha Wagner just outside the top 15 with one tournament remaining
TROPHY CLUB, Texas — Two recipients of the KW88 Gift Award will enter the final tournament of the Epson Tour season firmly in the hunt for 2027 LPGA Tour membership.
Following the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout, Samantha Wagner is No. 16 and Christine Wang is No. 17 in the Race for the Card, according to Epson Tour standings as of September 21. The top 15 players at the conclusion of the season earn LPGA Tour membership for 2027.
Wang strengthened her position Sunday with a sixth-place finish at the El Dorado tournament in Arkansas. She finished three under par and earned 120 Race for the Card points.
The performance adds to a breakthrough season in which Wang captured her first Epson Tour victory at the Hartford HealthCare Women’s Championship in July.
Wagner and Wang, both selected as 2026 KW88 Gift Award recipients, will have one final opportunity to improve their standings at the season-ending Epson Tour Championship, October 1–4 in Indian Wells, California.
“Kathy’s legacy is in motion through these young women,” said Cathy Harbin, PGA Master Professional and president of the Kathy Whitworth Foundation. “The KW88 Gift Award was created to give deserving young professionals a meaningful boost as they pursue their dreams. Samantha and Christine have put themselves in the hunt, and we are enormously proud of what they have accomplished. Now we will cheer them on while allowing them to remain focused on the golf ahead.”
Harbin emphasized that competitive results are only one measure of the award’s impact. Recipients also become part of the KW88 Family, which follows their journeys, celebrates their successes and encourages them through the inevitable challenges of professional golf.
Bettye Odle, chairwoman of the Kathy Whitworth Foundation and Whitworth’s longtime partner, said Kathy understood both the promise and the pressures facing young professional golfers.
“Kathy knew that talent alone was not always enough—that young players also needed opportunity, encouragement and people who believed in them,” Odle said. “She would be deeply proud of Samantha and Christine, not simply because they are so close to earning their LPGA Tour cards, but because of the determination, discipline and character they have shown along the way. This is precisely the kind of difference Kathy hoped her legacy would make.”
Wagner and Wang each received $5,000 through the KW88 Gift Award to help meet the considerable costs of pursuing a professional golf career.
Supporters will have an opportunity to help the program continue its mission at the Kathy Whitworth 88 Gifting Gala, set for 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, September 27, at Trophy Club Golf Club, 500 Trophy Club Drive in Trophy Club.
The event, held on what would have been Whitworth’s 87th birthday, will feature an upscale cookout, cocktails and a brief onstage conversation with fellow 2026 KW88 Gift Award recipients Riley Rennell and Gracen Blount. The two young professionals will share how Whitworth’s example and values have influenced their lives and careers.
Guests will conclude the evening with a rare opportunity to putt with Whitworth’s historic silver “Tom-Boy” putter—the club she used throughout a legendary career that produced 88 LPGA Tour victories, more wins on a single professional tour than any woman or man in golf history.
Admission is $200 per person, including a $120 contribution to the KW88 Gift Award.
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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