BY AAGD STAFF

January 29, 2020

Professional PGA Tour Caddie Wayne Birch Jr. received a grand induction into the Southern University Sports Hall of Fame (SUSHOF) in the category of Athletic Achievement in Golf.  The Enshrinement Ceremony was held on November 8, 2019, and honored 20 individuals.  Master of Ceremonies, SUSHOF Chairman Charlie Granger, a Dallas Cowboys first Black offensive lineman (1961) led the 6:30 p.m. program that was overseen by its Commissioners and took place at the Belle of Baton Rouge Hotel and Casino Atrium in Baton Rouge, La.   

Wayne Birch Jr. (L) with fellow inductee Coach Willie Williams

Birch, who is one of only four Black caddies on the PGA Tour, humbly accepted the honor for his success in business, as the owner of Wayne Birch Golf Consulting and in being a rising star in the pro-golf community, in addition to his activities mentoring young and less experienced golfers along his way. Birch, age 35, also has the distinction of being the youngest SUSHOF inductee.

Attending the November 8, 2019 induction ceremony with Wayne were (L-R) Geraldine Birch (mother), Wayne Birch Sr. (father), Alison Birch (wife), Wayne Birch Jr., Chantz Birch (brother) and Tranishia Birch (sister-in-law). (photo contributed)

Birch is a 2010 Bachelor of Science Degree holder in Secondary Education with a minor in Business and he earned a Master’s in Education with a concentration in Education Leadership from Southern University.  His classroom diligence landed him atop Southern University’s Dean’s List (2003-2006).

At 28-years old Birch became the youngest Athletic Director in the State of Louisiana.  After a brief but impactful career in education, he transitioned to the world of professional golf where, for the last three years, he has caddied for PGA Tour winner Troy Merritt.  The pair won the Barbasol Championship in 2018.

Wayne Birch, Jr.

Wayne was raised in Atlanta, Georgia and grew up in the community of College Park where he excelled in sports from an early age.  His athleticism earned him multiple offers, ultimately he accepted a golf scholarship to Southern University and went on to become Team Captain as a sophomore.  Winning four tournaments, he was named All-American during his tenure and subsequently Newcomer of the Year (2003) Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Most Improved Player Southern University (2004), and Most Valuable Player SWAC (2006).  

Wayne Birch, Jr. accepting his award from a presenter.

Birch self-sponsored many of his early competitive entries in golf playing on numerous mini tour events such as the Hooters Tour, Adams Tour, and the Advocates Tour.  After some success, he was approached by a PGA player and friend to make another transition —this time from professional golfer to PGA Tour Caddie.  Since then, Birch has secured 1 win on the Web.com Tour (now the Korn Ferry Tour), 1 win on the PGA Tour, and 40 PGA TOUR Top 10’s. 

Wayne Birch, Jr. on the Spring 2019 cover of AAGD. BUY THIS ISSUE !!

Birch’s accomplishments have been many and he has been featured on the cover of the African American Golfer’s Digest (Spring 2019).  He and his lovely wife Alison recently welcomed their first child in January 2020, a bouncing baby boy, 6lbs, 5oz, 19″.

 LOS ANGELES (January 28, 2020) – Tiger Woods announced Joseph Bramlett as the recipient of the Charlie Sifford Memorial exemption into the 2020 Genesis Invitational field. Awarded since 2009, the exemption has represented the advancement of diversity in the game of golf.

“It’s great seeing Joseph back on TOUR,” Woods said. “The determination to rebuild his swing and regain his card shows the perseverance Charlie would have admired. I look forward to seeing Joseph at Riviera this year.”

Bramlett, who also received the exemption in 2011, becomes the first two-time recipient of the Sifford exemption.

“Being selected to represent and promote the diversity of the game through this tournament in 2011 was an experience that I’ll never forget,” Bramlett said. “Receiving the exemption again in 2020 is a huge honor, but an even greater opportunity for me to carry on Mr. Sifford’s legacy of promoting the game of golf to minority communities across the country. I sincerely thank Tiger and TGR Foundation for this opportunity and for all the incredible work they do throughout the year.”

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Tim O’Neal Receives Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption to Play in 2019 Genesis Open

A rookie on the PGA TOUR in 2011, Bramlett shot 75-74—149 and missed the cut in his first start at The Riviera Country Club. In the following years, while competing on the Korn Ferry Tour in July 2013, Bramlett suffered an annular tear to his L4 and L5 discs, sidelining him completely.

Through an extensive rehabilitation period, Bramlett made three starts on the PGA TOUR between July 2013 and January 2018. During that time, he completely re-built his swing, reducing the pressure on his back and allowing him to again compete on TOUR. In 2019, Bramlett earned his PGA TOUR card for the first time since 2011 by finishing in the top 25 in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.

Since 2009, the exemption has been given to a golfer representing a minority background to play in the annual PGA TOUR event at Riviera. In 2017, the exemption was re-named to honor the memory of Charlie Sifford, the first African-American player to compete on the PGA TOUR. Previous exemption recipients include Vincent Johnson (2009), Joshua Wooding (2010), Bramlett (2011), Andy Walker (2012), Jeremiah Wooding (2013), Harold Varner III (2014), Carlos Sainz, Jr. (2015), J.J. Spaun (2016), Kevin M. Hall (2017), Cameron Champ (2018) and Tim O’Neal (2019).

A full list of the 2020 Genesis Invitational field will be announced on Friday, February 7. Tickets to the 2020 Genesis Invitational are currently on sale with prices starting at $19.92. Tickets, including hospitality and preferred parking passes, can be purchased online at GenesisInvitational.com.

About The Genesis Invitational

One of the most historic and longest-running events on the PGA TOUR, The Genesis Invitational celebrates its 94th playing, and first as an invitational, February 10-16, 2020 at historic Riviera Country Club. With TGR Live serving as the event management company for The Genesis Invitational, the primary benefiting charity is TGR Foundation, with proceeds from the event supporting the foundation’s education programs in Southern California. The tournament’s title sponsor is Genesis, a global luxury automotive brand that delivers the highest standards of performance, design and innovation. For more information about The Genesis Invitational, visit GenesisInvitational.com and follow the tournament on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @TheGenesisInv.

About TGR Live, A Tiger Woods Venture

For more than 20 years, TGR Live has exclusively organized and managed fundraising events supporting the TGR Foundation. It focuses solely on creating amazing experiences for the foundation’s clients at world-class events. TGR Live provides a variety of services including hospitality management, public relations and marketing, tournament operations, and sponsor sales at PGA TOUR and signature events which benefit the foundation. While many TGR Live events are televised, TGR Live does not provide TV or video production. For more information, visit TGRLive.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @TGRLiveEvents.

About TGR Foundation, A Tiger Woods Charity

For more than 20 years, TGR Foundation has worked to create a world where opportunity is universal and potential is limitless. With an unwavering commitment to impact an entire generation, our mission is to empower students to pursue their passions through education. We are pioneers in positive youth development, encouraging self-advocacy skills in young people. Our programs foster a growth mindset, instilling in students the strength and skills to persevere and define their own path. Through our award-winning STEM curricula, college-access programs, a digital platform and educator professional learning, TGR Foundation has reached more than one million students and offers resources and support needed to thrive in school and beyond. For more information, visit TGRFoundation.org or follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Genesis Motor America 

Genesis Motor America, LLC is headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif. Genesis is a global luxury automotive brand that delivers the highest standards of performance, design and innovation. All Genesis vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by an industry-leading warranty with enhanced roadside assistance and concierge services. Within the past year, Genesis has won highest-ranked brand in the automotive industry awards for quality and owner satisfaction from industry experts such as J.D. Power and Consumer Reports. In just its first year in the US Market, the Genesis G70 luxury sport sedan garnered unprecedented third-party industry expert acclaim, winning 18 major awards and accolades.

BY AAGD STAFF

January 27, 2020 — In July 2014, Bryant was seen striking a golf ball at Kobe hits a golf ball at Matt Barnes’ 2011 Athletes vs. Cancer Tournament.  Whether or not the NBA legend would have continued to pursue the sport will never be known.

Kobe Bryant, 41, the legendary basketball star who spent 20 years with the Lakers, was killed Sunday morning when the helicopter he was traveling in crashed amid foggy conditions and burst into flames in the hills above Calabasas, sources told the Los Angeles Times.

His daughter Gianna, 13, was also on board, NBA authorities confirmed.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said nine people were on the copter — a pilot and eight passengers. He would not confirm who had died until all the next of kin have been notified, he said. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office said Sunday night the recovery effort is expected to take several days because of the condition of the crash site and its remote location. Officials have shut down roads leading to the site because of a throng of visitors trying to get there.

The helicopter, a Sikorsky S-76B built in 1991, departed John Wayne Airport at 9:06 a.m. Sunday, according to publicly available flight records. The chopper passed over Boyle Heights, near Dodger Stadium, and circled over Glendale during the flight.

The crash occurred shortly before 10 a.m. near Las Virgenes Road and Willow Glen Street in Calabasas. Authorities received a 911 call at 9:47 a.m., and firefighters arrived to find that the crash had ignited a quarter-acre brush fire in steep terrain, said L.A. County Fire Chief Daryl Osby. Responders included 56 fire personnel — firefighters, a helicopter with paramedics, hand crews — and sheriff’s deputies.

“Our firefighters hiked into the accident site with their medical equipment and hose lines to extinguish the stubborn fire as it included the brush fire … and the helicopter,” Osby said during a news conference Sunday afternoon. “The fire also included magnesium, which is very hard for firefighters to extinguish because magnesium reacts with oxygen and water.”

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash. The FBI is also assisting in the probe, which is standard practice. The NTSB database does not show any prior incidents or accidents for the aircraft. The helicopter was registered to the Fillmore-based Island Express Holding Corp., according to the California secretary of state’s business database. The helicopter’s manufacturer, Sikorsky, said in a statement Sunday that it is cooperating with the investigation.

“The weather situation did not meet our minimum standards for flying,” Rubenstein said. The fog “was enough that we were not flying.” LAPD’s flight minimums are 2 miles of visibility and an 800-foot cloud ceiling, he said.

Kurt Deetz, a former pilot for Island Express Helicopters who used to fly Bryant in the chopper, said weather conditions were poor in Van Nuys on Sunday morning — “not good at all.”

The crash was more likely caused by bad weather than engine or mechanical issues, he said. “The likelihood of a catastrophic twin-engine failure on that aircraft — it just doesn’t happen,” he said.

Judging from a public record of the flight path and the wide debris field, Deetz said that it appears the helicopter was traveling very fast at the time of impact, about 160 mph. After a 40-minute flight, Deetz added, the craft would have had about 800 pounds of fuel on board. “That’s enough to start a pretty big fire,” he said.

The Los Angeles County coroner’s office is working on retrieving the bodies and has not officially identified any of the victims. But Orange Coast College confirmed that baseball coach John Altobelli was among the others who died in the crash. As a mentor and coach for 27 years, he helped students earn scholarships to play at four-year colleges and treated players like family, the school said in a statement.

“Coach Altobelli was a giant on our campus — a beloved teacher, coach, colleague and friend. This is a tremendous loss for our campus community,” OCC President Angelica Suarez said in a statement.

Kobi Bryant and his daughter Gianna

Altobelli’s wife, Keri Altobelli, and their 13-year-old daughter, Alyssa, who played on the club team with Bryant’s daughter, were also among the victims, according to his family.

Bryant was scheduled to coach Sunday in a game at his Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks and was en route there when the helicopter crashed. The tournament, called the Mamba Cup, featured boys’ and girls’ travel teams from fourth through eighth grade.

Scores of flowers, a Lakers banner and a photo of Bryant on the cover of Sports Illustrated were left at a growing memorial outside the locked front doors of the academy.

Christina Mauser, Kobe’s top assistant coach on the travel basketball team, was also killed in the crash.

“My kids and I are devastated,” her husband, Matt Mauser, wrote on Facebook. “We lost our beautiful wife and mom today in a helicopter crash.”

Jerry Kocharian was standing outside the Church in the Canyon drinking coffee when he heard a helicopter that was flying unusually low and struggling.

“It (didn’t) sound right and it was real low. I saw it falling and spluttering. But it was hard to make out as it was so foggy,” Kocharian said. The helicopter vanished into a cloud of fog and then there was a boom.

“There was a big fireball,” he said. “No one could survive that.”

Across the country Sunday, public figures, former teammates and fans alike mourned the basketball star.

“Particularly when he was young, to be a part of his life and to watch his career grow, watch him grow, this is one of the most tragic days of my life,” said fellow Lakers legend Jerry West, 81.

West was the general manager for the Lakers in 1996 and maneuvered Bryant’s immediate trade to the Lakers when he was drafted.

“I know somewhere along the way I guess I’ll come to grips with it. But now I have all these different emotions regarding him. The things I watched him do on the basketball court, but more importantly … he was making a difference off the court. It’s so unexplainable. This is going to take a long time for me.”

“Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act,” former President Obama tweeted. “To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents. Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day.”

It was a sad and surreal scene both in and out of Staples Center on Sunday, where a dress rehearsal for the Grammy Awards was taking place around noon. As word of Bryant’s death swept through the arena, crews worked quickly to move Bryant’s rafter jerseys side by side and masked the other retired jerseys with curtains. By 1 p.m., the switch had been made. No. 8 and No. 24 were side by side, illuminated by floodlights.

News of the crash dominated the rehearsal. Ariana Grande had just finished a lavish performance, and Billie Eilish was about to perform an acoustic song with her brother. But all eyes were on the jerseys at the other end of the floor, as staff and observers watched in disbelief.

Fans gathered across the city to mourn. Outside Staples Center and at L.A. Live, a sea of purple orchids and yellow chrysanthemums formed. Among the crowd packed along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a pattern emerged: purple and yellow and white; 24 and 8 on people’s chests; “BRYANT” emblazoned across their backs.

At the intersection of Hollywood and Highland in Hollywood, a dance crew asked people in the crowd to yell out where they were visiting from — Argentina, Korea, India. “I love you, Black Mamba!” one man shouted.

The ones who couldn’t get to L.A. landmarks mourned online. Some left basketballs outside their homes and posted photos on social media, offering Kobe and Gianna a ball in case they want to play a pickup game in heaven.

On Sunday evening, it is impossible to ignore the city’s heartbreak. Television screens in the LAX Airport terminal bars were playing footage of the news as travelers paused to stare. Outside, the airport’s pillars were lit up in Lakers purple and gold in honor of Bryant. Downtown, the US Bank Tower shone in the same colors, blocks from the Staples Center.

Within half an hour of the news breaking, a Barnes & Noble store in Orange had sold out of all photo books featuring the former NBA star.

“It’s kind of morose, but people just came in 10 or 15 minutes after we found out about it,” said Armando Romero, a bookseller at the cash register. He said his general manager announced Bryant’s death to the employees over their wireless headsets. “We knew right away people would be coming.”

Minutes later, Romero said, he received phone calls from customers, asking to put Bryant-related books on hold.

At the Fullerton Mexican restaurant El Camino Real, the staff was “really sad,” said manager Rodolfo Garcia. Bryant patronized the restaurant for 20 years with his wife, a Fullerton native. If he couldn’t come in person, Bryant would have friends get big orders to take back to his Newport Coast home.

“He liked the carnitas and flan,” Garcia said, over the thud of a butcher breaking down carne asada for tacos. “He loved this place because people treated him like a normal person. Kobe would just stand in line, like anyone else. He’d tell us, ‘Don’t treat me like a star; I’m just a customer here.’ ”

Bryant was born in Philadelphia. His father, Joe, played eight seasons in the 1970s and ’80s for the Philadelphia 76ers, San Diego Clippers and, in his last stop, the Houston Rockets under then-coach Del Harris. A lighthearted, 6-foot-10 stringbean who went by his Philadelphia playground nickname, Jellybean, Joe Bryant played college ball at La Salle and married Pam Cox, the sister of a starting guard at Villanova. They named their first son Kobe, after the city in Japan.

Bryant excelled at Lower Merion High in Ardmore, Pa., near Philadelphia, winning numerous national awards as a senior before announcing his intention to skip college and enter the NBA draft. He was selected 13th overall by Charlotte in 1996, but the Lakers had already worked out a deal with the Hornets to acquire Bryant before his selection.

Bryant impressed Lakers general manager Jerry West during a pre-draft workout session in Los Angeles. Less than three weeks later, the Lakers traded starting center Vlade Divac to the Hornets in exchange for Bryant’s rights. Bryant, whose favorite team growing up was the Lakers, had to have his parents co-sign his NBA contract because he was 17 years old.

The 6-foot-6 guard made his pro debut in the 1996-97 season opener against Minnesota; at the time he was the youngest player to appear in an NBA game. He started in only a handful of games during his rookie season, coming off the bench in support of Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones. However, Harris played him more as the season progressed, allowing Bryant to showcase his skills, which were on display when he won the 1997 NBA slam dunk competition.

Bryant continued to improve during his sophomore season in the league, averaging 15.4 points per game. But his breakout came in the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season when he started in all 50 games after the Lakers traded away Van Exel and Jones.

Bryant and leading scorer Shaquille O’Neal quickly morphed into one of the most lethal scoring and defensive combinations in the league. Together, with coach Phil Jackson guiding them, they led the Lakers to three consecutive championships (2000-02) as Bryant began to cement his place as the game’s top player.

“There’s no words to express the pain I’m going through with this tragedy of loosing my neice Gigi & my brother,” O’Neal tweeted Sunday. “I love u and u will be missed. My condolences goes out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board. IM SICK RIGHT NOW.”

Despite coming together to win some of the most closely fought playoff series in Lakers history, friction started to develop between Bryant and O’Neal. Tension between the two stars continued to build during the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons as the Lakers failed to capitalize on their status as top contenders for the NBA title. Making matters worse, Bryant was arrested in July 2003 on allegations of sexual assault.

The charges were eventually dropped, but Bryant’s reputation took a hit and he settled a civil lawsuit with the accuser. In exchange for not testifying in the criminal case, the accuser negotiated an apology letter from Bryant that read, in part, “Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual … I now understand how she sincerely feels that she did not consent.”

After the Lakers lost to Detroit in the NBA Finals with a star-studded team that included Karl Malone and Gary Payton, O’Neal was traded to Miami and Jackson’s coaching contract was not renewed. As the team’s undisputed leader, Bryant signed a seven-year contract to remain with the team.

Bryant summed up the tensions between him and O’Neal after the Lakers won the NBA title in 2009: “We’re great as individuals, but … it’s probably the first dynamic duo that had two alpha males on one team. We managed to make it work for three championships.”

Bryant posted some of the best offensive numbers of his career over the next three seasons, but the team struggled, failing to make the playoffs in 2005 before suffering consecutive first-round defeats to Phoenix in 2006 and 2007. Jackson returned to the team for the 2005-06 season, and Bryant went on to lead the league in scoring that season with a career-best 35.4 average. He scored 40 points or more in 27 games and became the first player since Wilt Chamberlain in 1964 to finish with 45 points or more in four consecutive games.

His biggest single-game achievement came Jan. 22, 2006, against Toronto when he scored a career-high 81 points, the second most in NBA history. Earlier that season, on Dec. 20, 2005, he scored 62 points in 33 minutes through three quarters of a game against Dallas; he had outscored the entire Mavericks team, 62-61, entering the final quarter, in which Bryant did not play. Bryant continued to impress during the 2006-07 season, scoring 50 or more points in a team-record 10 games and averaging 31.6 points a game to capture his second NBA scoring title.

Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was at that game, he said in a Twitter video Sunday. “It is something that I will always remember as one of the highlights of the things that I have learned and observed in sports.”

“He was an incredible athlete and a leader in a lot of ways. He inspired a whole generation of young athletes. He was one of the first ones to leave high school and come into the NBA and do so well, dominating the game and becoming one of the best scorers that the Los Angeles Lakers has ever seen,” Abdul-Jabbar said.

“He is the No. 1 player in the league, by far,” Washington guard Gilbert Arenas said in 2006. “With a player like him, he just wants that challenge. He’s just that fierce competitor. He doesn’t want to get out-showed. He’s the one who everybody’s afraid of.”

Bryant’s 2007-08 NBA MVP season got off to a tumultuous start after he reportedly demanded to be traded. He was reportedly unhappy with Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and Jackson. “I would like to be traded,” Bryant said during a radio interview. “Tough as it is to come to that conclusion, there’s no other alternative. It’s rough, man, but I don’t see how you can rebuild that trust. I just don’t know how you can move forward in that type of situation.”

Bryant eventually backtracked on his trade demands and posted perhaps his best all-around season, leading a team re-energized by Pau Gasol’s arrival from Memphis in February 2008 to a first-place finish in the Western Conference. The Lakers embarked on a memorable playoff run before losing to Boston in the Finals. Later that year, Bryant went on to win a gold medal with the U.S. team at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

With Bryant pleased about the direction the team was heading, he guided the Lakers to back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. He was named the NBA Finals MVP both years as the team once again ascended to the top of the NBA.

Ongoing soreness in Bryant’s knee and ankle coupled with the team’s heavy reliance in him played a role in the Lakers’ championship run coming to an end in 2011. Bryant posted his lowest points per game totals since the 2003-04 season as he dealt with the aftereffects of offseason arthroscopic knee surgery. He went on to win his fourth NBA All-Star Game most-valuable-player award but fell short of his ultimate goal of winning a sixth NBA title. Bryant also became the youngest player in NBA history to amass 27,000 career points.

Bryant finished third in league scoring in 2011-12 despite dealing with ongoing knee and ankle issues. In January 2012, he scored at least 40 points in four consecutive games, which included a 48-point effort against the Phoenix Suns.

Following the team’s acquisition of Dwight Howard in August 2012, the Lakers were regarded as a favorite for the NBA title. However, friction between Bryant and Howard started to develop as the team struggled. Despite this, Bryant led the NBA in scoring for much of the first half of the season and surpassed Chamberlain for fourth all-time in league scoring. But Bryant’s season came to a disappointing end when he suffered a torn Achilles tendon against the Golden State Warriors on April 10. The injury and subsequent surgery prevented Bryant from playing in the early portion of the 2013-14 season.

Bryant, who signed a two-year, $48.5 million contract extension with the Lakers before the start of the 2013-14 season, did not return from injury until December. He played in only six games before suffering a lateral tibial plateau fracture in his left knee. The injury forced him to miss the remainder of the season as the Lakers limped to a 27-55 record, missing the playoffs for only the second time since Bryant joined the franchise.

He retired from the NBA but began a new career in Hollywood.

In 2018, he won an Oscar along with director Glen Keane for the animated short film “Dear Basketball.”

Just Saturday night, Laker LeBron James passed Bryant for third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Allen Kenitzer, an FAA spokesman, said his agency and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating the helicopter crash.

“Kobe Bryant was a giant who inspired, amazed, and thrilled people everywhere with his incomparable skill on the court — and awed us with his intellect and humility as a father, husband, creative genius, and ambassador for the game he loved,” L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a news statement Sunday afternoon. “He will live forever in the heart of Los Angeles, and will be remembered through the ages as one of our greatest heroes.”

(SOURCE: TNS)

(Article written by Richard Winton, Dan Woike, Sonali Kohli, Tania Ganguli and Ben Poston)