If the LPGA had a Hall of Fame for giving, Betsy King would be in that one, too. The six-time major winner retired from the LPGA as one of the tour’s most decorated winners, only to embark on a second career that is unmatched amongst her peers when it comes to charity and global impact.
When it’s all said and done, King’s Golf Fore Africa foundation will have raised roughly $20 million for World Vision since its founding in 2007. King, a 34-time winner on the LPGA, hosted the organization’s final event late last year in Arizona, resulting in a $1 million fourth-quarter grant.
“I think I may go to Africa one more time,” said King, who has made 25 trips in the last 20 years, funding projects in nine different countries across the continent. There’s no telling how many lives have been saved through the work of King’s foundation with the gift of clean water.
With the help of generations of LPGA pros, the organization raised money for 400 wells in Africa, at least 50 mechanized water systems and eight maternity wings for local hospitals. The latest maternity annex will be named after her parents, which is especially fitting given that her father was a doctor. King put $50,000 of her own money toward that project.
King’s first trip to Africa was in 2006, and she returned to the U.S. a different person.
“I don’t think God has you see something like this,” said King, “and you go home and do nothing about it.”
King’s first fundraising event was a game night at her house, but she quickly realized that golf events were the way to go. The first outing was headlined by then-No. 1 Lorena Ochoa. Over the years, a number of LPGA pros would accompany King to Africa, including Juli Inkster, Stacy Lewis, Amy Olson, Katherine Kirk and Cheyenne Woods. Some, like Kendall Dye and Esther Choe, would work for her while others served on the board.
Dozens and dozens played in events over the years and raised money for wells. Many were on hand for the final event to celebrate King and support one last big ask.
Close friends Inkster and Pat Hurst auctioned off a round of golf in Palm Desert.
“Juli gets up there and says, ‘Now, if you’re not a fun player, don’t raise your hand for this one,’” said King with a laugh.
King and Hurst sold it for $50,000.
For King, Africa is a constant reminder of excess. Several years ago she downsized from a 5,200-square-foot home to one that’s 2,800. Her zest for the African people even took her to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, a hike that raised $70,000.
In Lesotho, King’s foundation partnered with World Vision and Habitat for Humanity to fund 45 houses that each cost $13,000 to build. Families, many of them child-headed, had their homes upgraded from thatched-roof huts with a dirt floor and no bathroom. Pit latrines became a new luxury.
“In her lifetime,” King once said, “the average African woman will walk the distance equal from the earth to the moon walking for water.”
The recently retired Angela Stanford, one of the few female pros who still hosts a charity event, attended at least one of King’s fundraisers every year since about 2009.
“I think for me, it was really cool to watch a golfer do something bigger than golf,” said Stanford.
It will take a few more months for the foundation to fully dissolve, and after an audit and several other formalities there will be one last check written to World Vision.
King still writes thank you notes and makes phone calls but has enjoyed a slower pace in recent weeks. The further away she got from her playing days, the harder it became to stay connected to current players.
What’s next for one of the game’s most selfless ambassadors?
“I don’t know yet,” said King. “I’ve been praying about that.”
One thing is certain: She’s not done.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Betsy King’s Golf Fore Africa ends with $20 million raised
