A winner of three LPGA titles and six ALPGA titles Katherine Kirk is widely known for her engaging personality. In 2017, she received the Founders Award as the LPGA member “whose behaviour and deeds best exemplifies the spirit, ideals and values of the LPGA”, and received a similar award at the Dow GLBI.
Born in Brisbane, Australia, she attended Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, where she was an All-American and NCAA Player of the Year in 2003, winning eight times before graduating with a degree in Sports Administration.
Passionate about philanthropy, both globally and locally, Katherine has been involved with Golf Fore Africa since 2009 and also supports the First Tee in Wichita where she lives with her husband Tom. She is also a community ambassador for Dow committed to seeing more boys and girls from all backgrounds involved in STEM.
Stepping forward as a Sustainable Golf Champion
Katherine has seen first hand the strides made at the Dow GLBI to become a more sustainable tournament, the first LPGA event to be GEO Certified, an accolade the event retained in its second year in 2021.
All at GEO are excited to be supporting her on her new journey as a Sustainable Golf Champion. As a professional athlete, Katherine has an important platform to help inform and inspire positive action, raising awareness at this critical time for our planet.
© LPGA
On why it is important for her to play her part, Katherine said: “Just look around and see what’s happening in the world. You could pick any location. The Australian bushfires from 2019 and 2020 are an example. Lives lost, billions of dollars in damage, millions of acres burned, thousands of homes and buildings destroyed. It’s not hard to see why we should care.
As professional golfers, we can be mindful about what our role is and what we can do as an individual. This means being educated on sustainability. For instance, with Dow, we are striving for carbon-neutrality for 2022. I think that encompasses a lot of what we’ve been discussing. Don’t be overwhelmed, just start taking small steps. It requires a mental commitment to do your part as a golfer and human being to work toward sustainability. The added advantage for a professional golfer is that we have a platform to spread the word and help educate the public. We have this unique opportunity to reach a wider audience and share with them the importance and benefits of sustainability.”
