RICHMOND TWP., Pa. - Following Betsy King on a golf course is a ride into a world where she feels right at home, whether it's joking with amateurs or critiquing a shot.
"Get up," she said after a man hit a wedge shot just off the green.
However, the 28-year LPGA vet is comfortable on the sidelines, at least at Moselem Springs Golf Club in Richmond Township.
"Do you miss it; wish you were back on tour?" I asked her on the fairway.
"Not really. If I played well enough, I'd still be be out there, that's really the key," she said.
In her career the Berks County native won 34 LPGA tournaments and six major championships. Since 2007, King's mission outdrives the golf course, to provide a better home for African families in need of clean drinking water.
"To think that you can make a difference in one person's life for a lifetime with $50. I don't know where else you can do that," she said of charitable donations.
King's charity, Golf Fore Africa, has raised $16 million to provide access to clean water in seven sub-Saharan African countries.
King's goal for this year is raising money for those living in rural Zambia, with the goal of providing 53 hand well pumps, 17 mechanized water systems, and two baby washing stations.
"When we started Golf Fore Africa, while a little bit before we started, there were about 2 billion people around the world that lacked access to clean water. Now that number is about 800 million or a little bit less. So there has been progress made," she said.
Her Berks County charity pro-am is 1 of at least four 2023 events raising $2 million for those living in Zambia. This event alone will help 3,000 people get access to clean water.
Laura Hartlage is one of 16 Pro's in the tournament.
"It's been nice to be able to be a part of these events and kind of give me some ideas of ways I can give back to others in the future as well," she said.
When sinking a putt makes an impact across the world.
