January 22, 2019
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – The PGA of America has opened registration for the 33rd PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship (most recently known as the PGA Minority Collegiate Championship), the most culturally significant Championship in collegiate golf.
Loritz “Scooter” Clark
The PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship, along with the corresponding PGA WORKS Career Expo, will take place from May 9-12 on the Ryder and Wanamaker Courses at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Collegiate coaches, student-athletes and current PGA Golf Management students interested in registering should visit PGAWORKSCollegiate.com.
“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.
Clark adds, “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.
RELATED ARTICLE: Bethune-Cookman Women and Men Capture Titles Once Again at 32nd PGA Minority Collegiate Championship
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.
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.
RELATED VIDEO: National Minority College Championship Players’ Paradox
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About PGA WORKS
PGA WORKS is the umbrella brand for all workforce diversification programs that are part of the PGA of America’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, one of the foundational principles in the PGA of America’s Long-Term Strategic Plan. PGA WORKS is an intentional effort to evolve the demographic composition of the golf industry’s workforce through a variety of programmatic efforts, including leadership development, fellowships, internships, scholarships, the PGA WORKS Career Expo and PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship. PGA WORKS programs are designed to appeal to, attract and retain diverse talent who are prepared to ascend into key employment positions across all lines of business within the golf industry and specifically the PGA of America.
