Maggie Rogers Invitational Honors Memory of Inverness Girl

The Maggie Rogers Invitational, the only all-girls Illinois Junior Golf Association (IJGA) tournament, was held at Inverness Golf Club this week. 

Despite a three-hour rain delay after storms ripped through the area, as well as a power outage at the golf club during the event, the tournament which was set to end at 3:30 p.m., picked up in the early
afternoon and finished around 6 p.m.

The invitational tournament has been going strong for the last 16 years, and was created in memory of Maggie Rogers, an Inverness
girl who was killed in a traffic accident on Mother’s Day in 1995. 

It was May 14 of that year, and Maggie and her grandmother left Inverness Golf Club after spending the day with her parents Ken and Nancy Rogers, to go shopping. 

Tragically, the car she was riding in was hit by a motorcycle and Maggie was killed. Her grandmother survived the accident.  

In 1996, The Maggie Rogers Foundation and Maggie Rogers Invitational were established by Maggie’s father, with the support and
encouragement of his close friends. 

The idea behind it was born in part from Maggie’s blossoming love of golf.

Rogers recalled a father-daughter tournament he and Maggie played in at Inverness Golf Club, when she was 8.

“We won the father-daughter tournament at Inverness; that was the most pressure in my life, at the last hole I ended up having a six foot putt and I saw Maggie out of the corner of my eye with her hands clenched, praying for me to get it,” Rogers said.

Maggie was also a kind and giving girl.

“She was extremely friendly, made friends easily and was very loyal to them even at 10 years old,” Rogers said. “She was generous almost
to a fault; I remember going out for ice cream with her where she had just met two girls there and asked me if we could buy them ice cream too.”

In that spirit, the tournament gives scholarships to college-bound girls, who not only have skills on the golf course, but also have had strong community service participation during their high school years.

This year, two young ladies who participated in the tournament received the Maggie Rogers scholarship; each was awarded $1,500 by
the foundation.

Taylor Ellett, a graduate of Hampshire High School, plans to attend Northern Illinois University in the fall on a golf scholarship. 

Her volunteer experiences include working at a community crisis center, heading a canned food drive for a food pantry and volunteering her time with elementary school kids.

Ellett will major in elementary education and ultimately wants to teach second or third graders. This was the third year she participated in the tournament. 

“It’s always a really nice event, and it’s a lot more about playing for the Rogers family and for Maggie’s memory than it is to play for yourself,” Ellett said.

Laura Palarz, a graduate of Barrington High School, is headed to Loyola University in Chicago in the fall. She will be majoring in
economics and plans to attend law school after receiving her bachelor’s degree. 

Her community service includes working at the Walk On Farm in Barrington, which provides horse therapy for children with disabilities.  Palarz also volunteered at the Barrington Public Library during high school.

“I think it is great that they have the Maggie Rogers tournament; it’s such an honor to have us out here,” Palarz said. “I know that Maggie loved many sports, including golf, and it is a great way to remember
her.”

Inverness golf club has hosted the Maggie Rogers Invitational for the last 16 years, and general manager Joseph Travaglio has personally witnessed the touching tribute it has built over that time.

“This is a very special memorial to Maggie,” said Travaglio. “Golf is one of those sports that instills those core values that Maggie had, and this is a unique event because it gives the girls a premiere venue to play in while they are treated to lunch and the red carpet treatment.”

Each year, Inverness Golf Club donates the greens fees so that funds from the foundation can be used toward the scholarships.

Out of more than 130 events sponsored by IJGA, the Maggie Rogers Invitational is the only all-girls event.

Girls 14 to 18 years of age who are members of IJGA are eligible to play in the tournament, in addition to girls who are 13 years old
but will be entering high school. 

College-bound seniors also can apply for the scholarships, which are awarded separately from the winners of the tournament itself.

“The criteria of the Maggie Rogers scholarship certainly meets the mission of ‘Better People Through Golf,” said Carrie Williams, IJGA executive director. “The girls don’t receive the scholarship just by winning, but rather it is based on their overall involvement in the community.” 

Julia Calbi of South Barrington took first place in the tournament, while second place went to Bing Singhsumalee of Naperville.

Madison Zyer, who is going in to her senior year at Fremd High School, has participated in the tournament for the last two years. 

“I think it is really cool that Mr. Rogers gets to see all of us play the game that Maggie loved, and that he loves; I think this day probably gives him some comfort,” Zyer said.

And special relationships between Rogers and the girls who participate in the tournament also have grown.

“The best thing to see is when the girls come up and give Ken hugs; many of them have known him for years, and the relationship is
something very special,” Williams said.  

“If there is any small part that we can play in advancing the girls’ love of the game while building their self confidence, I would consider that a job well done,” Rogers said. “The focus is to make the girls feel special, with the notion that it is a tribute and remembrance of my
daughter.”

And though the reason this all began resulted from personal tragedy, there is a silver lining.

“Though it is a day that was created by loss, it is a joyful event,” Williams said.  “It does many special things for these girls; it builds their self worth and awards them for serving their communities.” 

“The Maggie Rogers Invitational is helpful to me, but it is bitter- sweet; it is a tournament that I wish my daughter could have played in,” said Rogers.  “What helps is that the girls who have been involved over the years have written me and thanked me, and that touches my heartstrings.”