The 33rd PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship will be held
May 8-12, 2019 at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida
BY AAGD STAFF
May 3, 2019—The PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship (formerly known as the National Minority College Championship) along with the corresponding PGA WORKS Career Expo, will take place from May 8-12 on the Ryder and Wanamaker Courses at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
The five-person Team Competition (women’s and men’s) is open to historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions as defined by the U.S. Department of Education. The 2018 Division Champions will receive an automatic entry into the 2019 PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship if eligibility criteria are still being met. Past Champions were still required to submit an application. The PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship (most recently known as the PGA Minority Collegiate Championship) is the most culturally significant Championship in collegiate golf. It is also recognized as the most culturally significant championship in collegiate golf which combines top-level competition with a one-of-a-kind career development program.
Its Individual Competition is open to all students who are listed on the roster of their college golf team or part of the PGA Golf Management University Program and is required to be one of the following ethnic origins:
- American Indian
- Alaska Native
- Asian
- African American
- Hispanic
- Latinx
- Middle Eastern North African
- Native Hawaiian
- Other Pacific Islander
Participation in the Individual Competition is not restricted to historically Black colleges and universities or other minority-serving institutions.
“As the tapestry of our country has evolved, so has our definition of inclusion, and with that we are repositioning the PGA Minority Collegiate Championship and changing the name of the event to the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship,” said Lortiz “Scooter” Clark, Manager, PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship in an earlier press release by the PGA.
Clark added, “We are of a firm belief that this is the most culturally significant championship in collegiate golf. It is of great importance to the PGA of America, as it aligns with the ideals of diversity and inclusion and allows us to connect with hundreds of student athletes from diverse backgrounds, most of whom will continue to play golf throughout their lives.”
The 54-hole PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship is a stroke-play event contested across six divisions: NCAA Men’s Division I, Men’s Division II, Men’s NAIA, an overall Women’s Division (team), Men’s Individual and Women’s Individual. In 2018, Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Fla., captured a record seventh-straight – and 15th overall – women’s Division I crown, while the men’s team notched their third-consecutive championship and 10th title overall.
While many of the participating teams represent historically black colleges and universities, the individual competition is open to all minority men and women student-athletes playing collegiate golf at the Division I, Division II or NAIA levels, or participants who are enrolled in one of the PGA of America’s PGA Golf Management University Programs. In 2018, 74% of the student-athletes who competed in the event were non-Caucasian, while 14% of the field’s home country was outside the United States.
For coverage, follow @PGAWORKS on twitter Instagram and Facebook there will be live scoring, on course video, and updates /stories to follow constantly being updated. Golf Channel will also have highlights at the end of each day.
Business of Golf Career Expo: Thursday, May 9, 2019, 4:00pm-7:30pm
The Business of Golf Career Expo, held on Thursday, May 9, 4:00pm-7:30pm in conjunction with the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship. The Expo features golf industry associations and companies that enable student-athletes to learn about employment and internship opportunities in manufacturing, media, trade, golf course management and the game’s premier governing bodies.
Career Expo Overview
The Business of Golf Career Expo is the best opportunity in golf for employers to connect one on one with a diverse pool of talented, aspirational, and inspirational student-athletes seeking internships and entry-level employment. In 2017:
- 185 student-athletes attended
- 39 HBCUs, HSIs, and minority-serving institutions were represented
- 74% were from multicultural backgrounds
- 45% were juniors and seniors and 30% were women
Student-athletes will have the opportunity to present resumes for internships and employment.
The following companies are scheduled to be exhibiting in 2019:
- Advocates Pro Tour
- Acushnet
- AIG
- AJGA
- Billy Casper Golf
- ClubCorp
- GolfTec
- LPGA
- Hilton Garden Inn
- Octagon
- PGA Golf Club
- PGA of America
- PGA Tour
- Taylor Made Golf
- TopGolf
- Troon Golf
- USGA
The PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship is unlike any event as it provides a top-level championship in concert with its PGA WORKS Career Expo. Together, they’re designed to cultivate the next generation of golf industry and business leaders, as participating student-athletes are exposed to internships and employment opportunities supported by leading golf companies. The PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship (formerly known as the National Minority College Championship) originated at a meeting in November 1986, following the Jackson State University Golf
Tournament. The founders’ goal was to elevate the game at minority colleges and universities by providing student-athletes with the opportunity to compete on a championship stage during an era
when they were excluded from playing in many collegiate golf events. The inaugural Championship was conducted in the spring of 1987 at Highland Park Golf Course in Cleveland. Since 1998, PGA Golf Club has hosted the Championship, and in 2006 the PGA of America was granted complete ownership and management of the Championship by the National Minority College Golf Scholarship Fund.
