Category: Headlines

  PGA Hall of Famer Renee Powell of East Canton, Ohio, has written another historic chapter in a remarkable career. Powell, 75, who became the first Black woman PGA Member in 1996, was named Monday the 2021 Northern Ohio PGA Golf Professional of the Year. She is the first woman recipient of the Section award, which was first presented in 1974. The PGA Golf Professional of the Year Award is one of the highest honors the Association can bestow on a working club professional whose total contributions to the game best exemplify the complete PGA Professional. The award embraces a… Read More »

Cameron Champ won for the third straight year on the PGA Tour. By Herschel Caldwell Cameron Champ overcame a like luster start to  the first half of the year with a number of mechanical and mind issues. By his own admission, being a newlywed he allowed himself to become distracted trying to balance a personal life at home with the stress and demands of a professional life on the golf course. The 3M Open proved to be a turning point and a validation of his sense of balance and skills, fending off the obvious effects of dehydration, he put on… Read More »

John Merchant, the first African American member of the USGA Executive Committee, and a 2010 inductee into the National Black Golf Hall of Fame died March 5, 2020, at the age of 87. Merchant, a prominent attorney, was born in Greenwich, Conn., where he practiced law for over 50 years.  A pioneer in every sense of the word, Merchant’s professional, community and golf contributions are well-documented. They include his involvement in the early days of The First Tee program, organizing a series of symposiums for golfers of color from around the country, and advising golf entrepreneurs seeking to further the… Read More »

Five-time LPGA Tour winner Michelle Wie (West) is slated to cover the Players Championship March 9-15, as a contributing analyst for Golf Central Live.  Their team includes among other notables, Notah Begay, David Duval, and Brandel Chamblee. Wie’s golfing career began at a very early age of 10 when she qualified for a USGA amateur championship at 10; won the U.S. Amateur Public Links shortly thereafter, and then turned professional at age 15.  In 2009, the Hawaiian-born Korean American beat out a number of top-ranked lady pros to win the Lorena Ochoa Invitational, followed by a second win at the… Read More »

Although winless on the PGA circuit since his 2016 victory at the Australian Open, Harold Varner III, has continued to move up the 2020 leaderboard ladder.  Last September Varner tied for 19th place at A Military Tribute at Greenbrier, and later that month tied for 17th at the Safeway Open. Several weeks ago, Varner, who turns 30 later this year, placed a lone 13th at the Genesis Open, which finished him “in the money” – Greenbrier’s overall tournament purse was more than $9 million. At the recent Honda Classic, Varner tied for 15th on Day One, shooting even par for… Read More »

Through the years, Renee Powell has been no stranger to the development of golf and golf professionals.  History marks her as the second African American female to play in the LPGA, following only LPGA and professional tennis great, Althea Gibson. Also throughout the years, whether in program planning or personal play, Powell has always exemplified the highest level of leadership for the game of golf. Her work with the First Tee Program (from the early days of Joe Barrow’s guidance to the present day)—as well as her support of the National Golf Foundation and other programs and projects—is well-documented. It… Read More »

By Herschel Caldwell Nomination and eventual induction into the hall of fame in any endeavor of life represents the total body of one’s life work, and that work being recognized as worthy of the highest life award. Each of this year’s inductees have been examined, vetted, and determined by a committee of their peers, and deemed worthy of the honor. So as humbling as being selected is, it demands that one examine his or her chosen life work and somehow feel a sense of belonging and that, in some small way, their efforts in life to achieve a benefit for… Read More »