Mary Bea Porter-King of the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association was one of two recent inductees into the Southern California Golf Association Hall of Fame. Porter-King, Kauai resident and founder of the HSJGA, was joined by Jane Bastanchury Booth, a
Mary Bea Porter-King of the Hawaii State Junior Golf Association was one of two recent inductees into the Southern California Golf Association Hall of Fame.
Porter-King, Kauai resident and founder of the HSJGA, was joined by Jane Bastanchury Booth, a fellow former Arizona State golfer during the ceremonies in California. The SCGA Hall of Fame hit 30 members as the women were honored for their outstanding playing careers and their contributions to the game.
“After I married my husband and moved to Hawaii, I was struck by the lack of opportunities there in the junior golf space,” Porter-King said.
She founded the HSJGA, which has impacted thousands of kids and sent hundreds on to play collegiate and professional golf.
“Mary Bea is everything you would want in an advocate for golf,” said Jim Vernon, past president of the United States Golf Association and SCGA. “What she has given back to the game is unbelievable.”
Porter-King started playing golf at a young age and continued her career at Arizona State University, joining Bastanchury Booth on the women’s golf team.
Porter-King also played basketball, volleyball and softball. She was inducted into the Arizona State University Sports Hall of Fame and spent 25 years on the LPGA Tour. She is married to Charlie King.
“The only reason I turned professional was because Jane (Bastanchury Booth) kept beating me all the time in amateur events,” Porter-King said. “I always knew that I wanted to be a pro golfer. I had some wonderful people that helped me follow my dreams, and today, I really want to take the opportunity to thank them.”
Besides her playing career, Porter-King may be best known for an errant shot she hit during a qualifying round for the 1988 Samaritan Turquoise Classic in Phoenix.
While searching for her ball, she noticed a commotion in the yard of a house adjacent to the golf course. In what became a life-defining moment, Porter-King ended up performing CPR and saving the life of a young boy who had fallen into a pool.
The Mary Bea Porter Humanitarian Award was created by the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association, and in 2011, Porter-King was recognized as the year’s PGA First Lady of Golf.
Porter-King has officiated more than 75 national championships and served on numerous committees.
“Betty Hicks had a profound effect on me and how I play the game,” Porter-King said. “She wouldn’t let me play until I passed a written rules test, and guess what? Kids in Hawaii today need to pass a written rules test before I let them play. I still teach what I was taught. But I know my mission is not complete. Kids need golf more than ever. I can’t imagine how great the world would be if everyone played golf. I have no plans to stop giving back to the game.”
