Category: Feature Articles

Walker, a longtime golf professional and premier golf instructor, is no stranger to advocating for all youth, and historically Black youth, in a field where opportunities for inclusion and status have been difficult to attain. A 1998 graduate of Pepperdine University, Walker is believed to have been of the two first African Americans to play on an NCAA Division 1 Men’s Golf Championship team. In 1997 he won the NCAA National Championship at Pepperdine, and was later inducted into the Pepperdine Sports Hall of Fame. Walker’s golf prowess goes back many years, as it was 25 years ago when MGM… Read More »

African American Golf Expo Committee member Arnett Gill stated, “The African American Golf Expo and Forum yield all people, especially people of color an opportunity to learn about the cultural impact of African American Golf, to explore the immersive and interactive exhibits that pertain to the rich history of golf and possibly see priceless artifacts from our history.” Chief of Staff for Jim Beatty Golf Ventures, Charlene Williams, stated,” I remember walking with Jim and sitting in on several interviews as well as taking notes during our visit to the PGA Merchandise Show before COVID. Neither of us was pleased… Read More »

Practice, Practice, Practice, these words are the call of any person who seeks to win, and few understand this principle more than Tony Finau. Professional golfers understand this principle better than most, in my view. There are reports that Tiger Woods would hit over 500 balls every day, then spend hours on his short game. Considering Tiger’s devotion to the game, is there any surprise he is widely considered the greatest of all time? The experts will tell you that practice must be planned; simply beating hundreds of balls doing the same things will get you the same result, bogies… Read More »

Preparation alone  does not guarantee a victory, but lack of it does guarantee a defeat. Walking several holes with Cameron Champ on a practice round prepping for the start of the 2022 PGA Championship was a special treat for this writer. There are times when the effort of preparation is its own reward, irrespective of the week’s outcome. Missing the cut at The PGA Championship was surprising because Champ had been playing well (T10 at the Masters; T6 at the Mexico Open; T38 at the Byron Nelson). The numbers don’t lie. At just 25 years old, Cameron Champ has quickly morphed into… Read More »

The quality of the field year after year, the difficulty of the course, the history of the competition, the place on the yearly PGA Tour schedule–all point to serious consideration of the tournament being called the “Fifth Men’s Professional Golf Major”.  By Herschel Caldwell The subject of The Players becoming the fifth major comes up annually and fervently. However, many top professionals look on The Players as a uniquely private “professional players only” experience with narrow entry and minimized participation (not owing to the open championships where anyone has a chance to qualify regardless of status or professional achievement. The… Read More »

The following article was produced by PGA Tour Headquarters : emilytillo@pgatourhq.com “As the nation celebrates Black History Month with observances and activities honoring the historic contributions of African Americans, THE PLAYERS is no exception. This month, THE PLAYERS introduced Foreward Together, a new exhibit that highlights and chronicles the milestones and impact of African Americans in golf. The exhibit, which also highlights Jacksonville leaders’ contributions to the integration of golf, will be on display at TPC Sawgrass during the month of February and will relocate to the atrium of Jacksonville City Hall for display throughout March.” Foreward Together features interactive… Read More »