The Dave King Scholarship is made possible by the generous support of Dave King, a remarkable athlete, educated professional, and philanthropist. Dave learned the game from his father at St. David’s Golf Club in Wayne, Pennsylvania, and went on to become one of the most accomplished amateur golfers in the region. His career includes nineteen club championship titles — seven of them at Bethesda Country Club, his home club since 1968 — as well as over one hundred amateur tournament titles and seventeen USGA Championship appearances. After retiring from NIH in 1992, Dave pursued a competitive senior career and was ranked among the top 10 seniors by Golf Digest on three occasions. In 2002, he won the Virginia State Golf Association Senior Championship and was named Senior Golfer of the Year.

The Mary Doherty Memorial Scholarship honors the life of Mary Doherty, who was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania into a family of golfers. She loved the game from a young age and continued playing throughout her life, staying in the Washington area where she built a successful career as a business development executive. For over 40 years, Mary cherished the camaraderie she found on the course and felt strongly that more women should experience golf. She credited the game with helping her feel more confident, building her self-esteem, and reducing her anxiety. One of Mary’s final wishes was for this scholarship to be established through First Tee – Greater Washington, DC, so that her love of golf and belief in its power to transform lives could carry on for future generations of young women.

The Jonny Scholarship was established in memory of Jonathan Wildes, a passionate young golfer who grew up playing the game in Northern Virginia. Since 2014, Jonathan’s family and friends have channeled their love for him into meaningful support for First Tee – Greater Washington, DC, beginning with The Jonny Golf Tournament, which raised over $100,000 across six years for the organization’s youth development programs. In 2021, the Jonathan Wildes Memorial Scholarship was created to give Jonathan’s memory a lasting and meaningful impact on the lives of First Tee participants, continuing his spirit through the next generation of young golfers.

The YPC Scholarship is presented by the First Tee – Greater Washington, DC Young Professionals Council (YPC), a network of active young professionals in the DMV metropolitan area dedicated to advancing the mission of First Tee – Greater Washington, DC. Through fundraising, coaching, and community outreach, the YPC has worked since 2014 to provide resources for college preparation, equipment, and program support for the growing DC chapter. Their annual fundraising events — the Golf-A-Thon, which ran through 2018, and the Scholarship Scramble, which launched in 2019 — have generated proceeds specifically allocated to support college-bound First Tee participants.