The recent championship victory by Christyn Smith on the iHeartMedia Women’s Golf Championship on the Sapphire Golf Tour marks a significant milestone — not only for her personal career, but for a broader movement aimed at expanding opportunity and representation for Black women in professional golf.
According to the official tournament results, Christyn Smith emerged as champion in the recent event, held November 23-25, at Queen’s Harbour Yacht & Country Club. Smith grew up in Atlanta, Ga., played collegiate golf at North Carolina A&T, has now clinching her very first professional win in a thrilling playoff on the 18th hole against Sapphire Tour DMV champion Cami March. Fellow competitors and supporters on social media celebrated her win as a “turning point” in a career that’s now firmly on the radar of the golf world.
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The Sapphire Golf Tour is an innovative and intentionally designed professional circuit created to serve Black women golfers — providing competitive opportunities, visibility, resources, and a pathway to higher levels of competition. Its inaugural season (2025) featured marquee events in markets such as the DMV, Atlanta, Houston, Florida, and more, across renowned courses — all aimed at creating sustainable pathways and raising the profile of Black women in the sport. As tour commissioner Tarek DeLavallade described it: the Sapphire Golf Tour isn’t just about competition — it’s “legacy, empowerment, and a call to action.”
Powered by the legacy organization United Golfers Association (UGA), the Tour carries forward nearly a century of Black golf history. UGA — founded in 1925 during an era of segregation that excluded Black players from mainstream tournaments — has long served as a cornerstone for Black golfers through its invitational events, junior programs, and scholarship initiatives.
The Sapphire Tour’s stated mission is clear: to bridge the gap between collegiate golf and elite-level competition for Black women, offering developmental resources, coaching, exemptions, and structured competition.
Why Christyn Smith’s Win Matters
Christyn Smith’s victory affirms that the Tour’s vision can be realized: talented Black women golfers now have a national platform to showcase their skills, earn purses, and build their professional brand. Her success can inspire young Black girls — who historically have rarely seen themselves represented at the pro level — to believe in golf as a viable career path.
Moreover, the Tour offers more than just competition: through its developmental focus, mentoring, and community-purpose programs, it aims to build a sustainable culture of inclusion and opportunity in golf. As one player on social media wrote about the Tour: it “gave me a second chance, real sisterhood, and a shot at destiny.”
With its successful inaugural events behind it, the Sapphire Golf Tour plans to expand in 2026 — with more tournaments, broader reach, and a growing community impact. For Christyn Smith and her peers, this Tour offers a chance not just to compete — but to redefine what professional golf can look like, who belongs on the fairways, and who gets to chase championships. In a sport where opportunity and access have for too long been limited by race and gender, the Sapphire Golf Tour — and Smith’s victory — represent a new chapter: one of inclusion, empowerment, and long-awaited representation. For more information on the Sapphire Tour visit https://sapphiregolftour.com.
