Kathy Whitworth

Kathrynne Ann Whitworth was born on September 27, 1939, in Monahans, Texas. She is the youngest child of Morris and Dama Robinson Whitworth. Whitworth's father worked for a lumber company in Monahans, but eventually moved the family to Jal, New Mexico where their extended family lived. The small town of Jal had originally been a ranching community but by the 1950s the oil industry had built up around it. Whitworth's parents owned and operated a hardware store there until 1981.

Whitworth was a talented athlete who adapted to sports easily. She claims that most of her competitive spirit and athletic ability are due to her mother. In high school, Whitworth played tennis since it was the only organized sport available to women at the time. When she was 15 some friends from the tennis team convinced her to join them in a round of golf. It was Whitworth's first experience with golf and she was amazed when she couldn't play the game well. Sensing a challenge and wanting to prove that she could play the game, Whitworth spent the next year playing alone until she felt she was good enough to play in public.

Impressed by Whitworth's dedication to the sport, Morris and Dama joined the Jal Country Club so that Whitworth could play whenever she wanted. Around that time she started taking lessons from the professional at the country club who felt she had potential. Hardy Loudermilk was Whitworth's first tutor, but he felt his skills were limited. When he thought she was ready Loudermilk contacted one of golf's legendary teachers and asked him if he would work with her. Harvey Penick, a renowned tutor at the Austin Country Club, agreed to meet with Whitworth.

Whitworth began making periodic trips to Austin, a 400-mile trek, for three- and four-day lessons. She would make the drive with her mother who would take notes of Penick's suggestions. Penick would contact Loudermilk with information about Whitworth's progress and what she needed to practice. Whitworth explained to Dave Anderson of the New York Times, "Harvey changed the whole game for me.… He gave me a knowledge of the game and the swing." Armed with this knowledge, Whitworth began making the rounds of amateur tournaments in the Southwest.