(July 22, 2016) Portland, OR and Troon, Scotland: Young golfers who have won or placed in Bill Dickey Invitational (BDI) Tournaments are currently making history and wowing crowds all over the world. BDI alums are among the first group of four black women to ever compete in the LPGA Tour at the same time. Cheyenne Woods, Mariah Stackhouse, Sadena Parks, and Ginger Howard played in the 2016 Cambia Portland Classic Presented by JTBC in Portland, OR, June 30 – July 3.
Harold Varner III
BDI Alum Harold Varner, III just competed in the 2016 British Open at Royal Troon in Troon, Scotland, July 14 – 17, 2016. This marks an important milestone and notable return for Varner – coming full circle to play as a professional golfer in Scotland. He first played on Scotland courses through a special visitors program sponsored by the Bill Dickey Scholarship Association and the New Links St. Andrews Program. Varner is enjoying international success, building on attention and experience he gained through the BDSA.
“We are so proud to see golfers who benefited from the Bill Dickey Scholarship Association and the Bill Dickey Invitational reaching such exciting heights in the golf world,” said BDSA Chairman Nathaniel R. Goldston, III. “Our organization is about encouraging young players to hone their skills while helping them get a quality education so they can take their careers to the next level, in golf and beyond.”
Each of these BDI Alumni have excelled at golf while pursuing their studies:
- Cheyenne Woods attended Wake Forest University
- Mariah Stackhouse attended Stanford University (BDSA Scholar & BDI Alum)
- Sadena Parks attended University of Washington
- Harold Varner, III attended East Carolina University
This year’s Bill Dickey Invitational, held June 26 – 28, was hosted by members of The Club at Ibis in West Palm Beach, Florida for the second year.
Over the past 30 years, the Bill Dickey Scholarship Association has awarded over $3.5 million in scholarships to more than 1000 minority students nationwide. Deserving students have used the BDSA gift to further their education and career goals. As a result of the Bill Dickey Invitational held annually, program youth have achieved academic success and impressive wins and honors at various collegiate, amateur and professional golf competitions.
RELATED: The golf community loses a champion of minority golf and education as BDSA Founder Bill Dickey passes away at the age of 84.
Bill Dickey’s legacy continues with the Scholarship Association’s annual major fundraising event, The Bill Dickey East/West Golf Classic – January 13-15, 2017, the weekend prior to the MLK Holiday and will feature a scramble format on Saturday. This event has received national accolades as a direct result of phenomenal sponsor and participant support, and welcomed up to 500+ players/participants in past years. For more information about BDSA, go to billdickey.org
