Held at Wild Turkey Golf Club in Hamburg, N.J., on Sunday, July 19, the distinguished guests spanned various industries and included supermodel Beverly Johnson, radio/tv host Roland Martin, Wendell Haskins (founder, Original Tee Golf Classic), Iain Page (FOX29 Philadelphia anchor), Keith Clinkscales (CEO, REVOLT), Len Burnett (Publisher, UPTOWN), Sharon Harris (Microsoft), golf phenoms Amari “Tigress” Avery and Alona Avery, entertainment attorney Matt Middleton, Jeff Sanchez (NBA Senior Manager, Event Activation), designer Tony Shellman, Derrin Woodhouse (Samsung), Michael Davis (Philadelphia Eagles), Shante Bacon (founder, 135th Street Agency), Dres from Black Sheep, advertising exec Malcolm Gillian, Byron Kirkland (manager of Machine Gun Kelly), Kevin Peck (manager of Dru Hill), Lenny Singletary (BNY Mellon), Kainon Jasper (Bridge Intelligence Group), Latoya Finney (Asst. VP at Barclays Capital), Frank Fraley (Mt. Vernon Chamber of Commerce), Michael Vann (former owner of The Shark Bar) and Jim Kelly III.
Guests enjoyed on-site haircuts by Denny Moe’s Superstar Barbershop from Harlem; an all-day open bar courtesy of Zacapa Rum and Ciroc; a silent auction of sports memorabilia; and clinics hosted by PGA professionals who introduced 25 novice attendees to the game of golf. Golf coach Buddy Cooper led the Nine-Hole Youth Competition along with several PGA professionals including NFPGA Section Member Anthony G. Stepney (UMES DiversitiTee Golf & ProjectNext Tee), New Jersey Section Members Jim Famula (Raritan Golf Center), Bill Nightingale (Life Member) and Hal Myers (Life Member).
Later that evening at the Awards Dinner hosted by Iain Page, Beverly Johnson – last year’s True Original honoree – presented Lee Elder with this year’s True Original Award. Tournament winners included golfers Henry Lopez and Greg Lewis for the adult competition, and Khalid Page, Diana McCready and Alona Avery for the youth competition.
Special thanks to this year’s sponsors Chico’s, Mercedes-Benz, National Basketball Association (NBA), Zacapa Rum, Delta Airlines, Times Square Communications, Ciroc, Bai Water and GIII by Carl Banks.
Photos by Stephen Knight
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ABOUT ORIGINAL TEE, INC.
Original Tee, Inc. was founded by Wendell J. Haskins — director of sports and entertainment relations at PGA of America — with a vision of paying homage to African American pioneers in the sport of golf. The company name and first product – the “Original Tee-Shirt” – was inspired by Dr. George F. Grant, the African American inventor of the golf tee. Original Tee’s core objectives are preservation of the game of golf, education on African American accomplishments in golf and instructing and developing a pipeline of new golf enthusiasts – especially youth. Original Tee’s competitive advantage is grounded in its broad reaching relationships within the entertainment and sports industries. The growing popularity of golf among African Americans, coupled with market understanding, provides a broad platform of opportunities for Original Tee within the leisure sports and the lifestyle brand marketplace including apparel, merchandising, event management and promotional partnerships. The Original Tee Golf Classic (OTGC), our premier golf tournament, is one of the cornerstones of the company and enables us to contribute to causes and initiatives whose goals and commitments match our own.
