PGA of America and Whirlpool Corporation Reveal New Scholarship Program to Pay Tribute to Jack and Barbara Nicklaus

BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN – On Friday at the 2018 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, golf’s greatest champion and acclaimed course designer Jack Nicklaus and his wife Barbara returned to Harbor Shores, host site of the Championship, to help announce an exciting new college scholarship program being created in their honor.

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On the eve of their visit to Southwest Michigan’s golf mecca, the PGA of America and Whirlpool Corporation proudly honored the commitment and legacy of golf’s greatest icon through the creation of the Jack and Barbara Nicklaus KitchenAid Senior PGA Champions for Change Scholarship Program.

The Jack and Barbara Nicklaus KitchenAid Senior PGA Champions for Change Scholarship Program is designed to inspire recipients to create their own golden opportunities through education. It embodies the values that Jack Nicklaus has stood for his entire life: Winning with integrity and giving back to others.

 “Thanks to Jack’s artful restoration of the waterfront and wetlands, as well as he and Barbara’s dedication to improving the lives and futures of area children, Harbor Shores will be a positive contributor to the local community for decades to come,” said Jeff Fettig, chairman of the board of Whirlpool Corporation. “The Nicklaus family has made an incredible impact on the Benton Harbor area, and we are thrilled to create this scholarship in Jack and Barbara Nicklaus’ name.”
 
“Jack and Barbara Nicklaus are among a select few in the world of sports whose lives are predicated on giving back to others,” said PGA of America President Paul K. Levy. “The PGA of America is extremely excited to partner with Whirlpool Corporation and golf’s premier couple to help fulfill the dreams of young leaders of tomorrow from Benton Harbor. We believe the Jack and Barbara Nicklaus KitchenAid Senior PGA Champions for Change Scholarship Program will be the catalyst for building a legacy by which we all may be proud.”
 
An annual scholarship of $25,000 will be granted each year through 2024 to one member of the Benton Harbor community who has graduated with an Associate’s Degree from the Lake Michigan Community College “Start to Finish Program” and seeks to continue his/her college education. Recipients may use the new scholarship to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree or to further advance a technical degree.
 
“Barbara and I are honored to have our name on a scholarship that benefits kids from the Benton Harbor area,” said Jack Nicklaus. “It's a little different scholarship in that you go through a junior college first before you get there, so you know that the kids that are going to get it are very studious kids that would like to receive a higher education. We’re looking forward to doing that and we thank [PGA of America and Whirlpool] for the honor.”

The scholarship announcement was made at a news conference during the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores on Friday, May 25. It included comments from Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, Jeff Fettig and PGA of America President Paul Levy.
 
For more information about the 79th KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, visit SrPGA.com or call 1-800-PGA-GOLF (800-742-4653).
 
For more information about KitchenAid, visit KitchenAid.com, Facebook, or Twitter.
 
To learn more about the PGA of America, please visit PGA.org, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
 
About the Start to Finish Program

The Lake Michigan Community College Start to Finish Program is a highly successful initiative that continues to thrive as a student support program targeting Benton Harbor Promise Zone students. Start to Finish provides mentorship, coaching, academic advising, career counseling, supplemental education and transportation services for each student. Since offering Start to Finish in 2012, course completion, GPA, class attendance and graduation rates have increased significantly.