(BY MICHAEL COOPER) I’ve enjoyed being a golf fan this year! Part of my fun has been following familiar names. Of course I followed Tiger. Everybody does! I’ve also enjoyed following Harold Varner III, Tony Finau, Cheyenne Woods, and Sadena Parks. Another source of fun and entertainment has come from personally traveling and working at each of the five Advocates Pro Tour golf tournaments in 2015, where the quality of play continues to increase and more names are becoming familiar to the avid golf fan.
I first met Harold Varner III at Rogers Park Golf Course (Tampa, FL) during the March 2013 Advocates Pro Tour event. Nice young man with exceptional talent! I’d heard plenty talk about Harold prior to actually meeting him. My good friend Tom Woodard, a seasoned veteran and former PGA TOUR player, was paired with Varner during the first round at Rogers Park. After the round Tom raved at Harold’s talent and demeanor, and predicted he would make it to the tour. I’ve been following his progress ever since.
HAROLD VARNER
Harold Varner III shot 141 for 36 holes at the 2013 event at Rogers Park GC. He finished fourth and earned $1,750. On August 30, 2015 he finished 25th on the money list on the WEB.COM TOUR with earnings just over $161,000. The top 25 on the money list earned their PGA TOUR card for next season. Congratulations Harold, what a difference two years can make! I’ll continue to be a fan of yours and wish you the best.
TONY FINAU
My first exposure to Tony Finau was at the August 2013 Advocates Pro Tour event in Los Angeles. Tony scored 137 for the 36-hole event and finished tied for third place. He earned $2,125. Two years later in August 2015 Tony Finau is a rising star on the PGA TOUR. He carries himself well and hits it a mile. He is ranked 80th in the world…in the WORLD, and 39th in PGA TOUR earnings, with over $2 million in prize monies this season. He’d be my pick for Rookie of the Year honors. How’s that for making the most of 24 months?
Golf is a $68.8 billion industry with a total impact on the U.S. economy of $167.8 billion. The above-mentioned are positive signs and glimmers of hope that golf is making progress regarding diversity and inclusion. Yet, as a game/industry we still remain woefully behind major industry trends. Overall, participation rates from minority groups continues to hover around 20%, with less than 4% from black Americans. At last count, approximately 20% of minorities made up the workforce in the golf industry, 8% of them black. Less than 2% of blacks play college golf. So it comes as no surprise that even less than 2% make it to the professional ranks.all that, to say, we (blacks) continue to be grossly underrepresented in the sport.
Nevertheless, we continue to root for those who pursue their lifelong dreams. I wonder who will be the next one to break through despite the odds. Maybe it will be Willie Mack, Christian Heavens, or Justin Stills, who finished one, two and three in points accumulated on the 2015 Advocates Pro Tour. Maybe it will be Mariah Stackhouse from Stanford University. Or Ginger Howard, Shasta Averyhardt, or someone else reading this article today.
I congratulate all the grass roots organizations committed to bringing more minorities into the game/industry and ask them to press even harder until we finally achieve appropriate representation and equity. And to the players who are grinding everyday I offer that it is better to be prepared for an opportunity that hasn’t come yet, than to have an opportunity come and you not be prepared. Stay the course and your time might be next. If you don’t believe it, just ask Harold Varner III or Tony Finau!
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ABOUT MICHAEL COOPER, PH.D. Dr. Michael W. Cooper is the former Director of Diversity for the World Golf Foundation/The First Tee and past Assistant Dean/Campus Director for Springfield College-Tampa Bay campus. Contact him at mcooper2@springfieldcollege.edu.
