On the ride to Salina Municipal Golf Course on Monday for the first day of the Kansas Class 5A girls golf championships, Gary Navarro let it slip to his daughter that Salina was where he had won his state championship.

He couldn’t hold back the tears on Tuesday when he watched his daughter, Kapaun Mt. Carmel junior Eleanor Navarro, earn a state medal and help the Crusaders win their first team state title since 2016.

“Oh man, it was emotional,” Gary Navarro said. “The tears were flowing.”

“I’ve never seen him get like that,” said Eleanor, who shot a 36-hole total of 157 to finish tied for 12th overall. “It’s funny seeing him like that, but it was cool because I could see that he was super proud of us and super proud of me.”

To understand why Gary Navarro was so emotional, you first must understand how important the game of golf is to him and his family.

Gary’s father, Auggie Navarro, is a Wichita golf legend. He was one of 11 siblings who lived in a pair of box cars parked at Broadway and 29th Street. Auggie would hitchhike 11 miles to Crestview Country Club to work as a caddy, which paid 90 cents per 18 holes.

The members took a liking to Auggie and taught him the game. He proved to be a natural and soon developed into one of Wichita’s best golfers, winning the City Match Play, Medal Play and 4-ball titles all in the same year in 1956. He spent close to four decades as the golf pro at Sim Park and helped develop Wichita’s junior golf program before his death in 2012.

Auggie passed on his love for the game to Gary, who was a two-time individual state champion at North and an All-American at Wichita State. That tradition was continued with Gary passing down his passion for the game to his daughter, Eleanor, and all Gary could think about on Tuesday afternoon was how proud his father would be.

“When Eleanor was born, he got her up and going and grandpa helped her start golfing,” Gary Navarro said. “I know he would have really loved seeing her today. He would be so proud that she hung in there.”

While Eleanor Navarro was born into a family of great golfers, birdies aren’t handed out for your last name. She had to fall in love with the grind and put in the work on her own.

From Kansas.com – By Taylor Eldridge: https://www.kansas.com/sports/varsity-kansas/other-varsity-sports/article246599783.html

Three Checks were presented by LPGA Pro Katherine Kirk and Tournament Director Rick Navarro at the 8th Annual Auggie Navarro Golf Tournament.

The First Tee of Wichita received a check in the amount of $30,000.00.  These proceeds will be used to fund three $10,000 scholarships to deserving seniors from The First Tee.  Tom West (Founder of The First Tee) and Rick Navarro have agreed to name a golf teaching room within The First Tee practice area located at MacDonald GC after Auggie Navarro.

The Wichita Jr. Golf Foundation received a check in the amount of $20,000.00.  These proceeds will be used to fund two $10,000 scholarship to deserving seniors from The Wichita Jr. Golf Foundation.

The Auggie Navarro Endowment received a check in the amount $11,545.00.  These proceeds will be used to build a cash base for the endowment so that one day Auggie Navarro Scholarships can be funded from the interest paid off of the principal.

LPGA Professional Katherine Kirk gave the players in the 8th Annual Auggie Navarro tournament a surprise visit and assisted Rick Navarro in awarding the net earnings from the event, which totaled $61,545.00. She also spoke about her experiences on the LPGA and her recent event at the ANA Inspiration Tournament. The current Auggie Navarro College Scholarship Recipients that attended this year’s event as volunteers got an opportunity to have a photo shoot with the local celebrity.

In September, Katherine participated in a skins game prior to the ANA Inspiration & won $30,000.00 for the charity of her choice. In the actual ANA Inspiration Tournament she had played her way into playing in the last group but putts wouldn’t drop and she scored a final round of 73. Her total score for the event was 9 under par which placed her in a tie for 7th place. The following weekend she took a break from the LPGA to come to her home town here in Wichita, KS. with her husband Tom Kirk.