(MAY 8, 2019)

Troon and Cheyenne Woods are teaming up to give you (and three lucky friends) the opportunity to win a once in a lifetime golf experience at Troon North Golf Club in Scottsdale, AZ!

A native of Phoenix, Ariz., Woods, a member of Team Troon, competes on the LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour, where she won the 2014 Australian Ladies Masters. In her 2019 season debut, Woods recently placed 15th at the Fatima Bint Mubarak Open at Troon-managed Saadiyat Beach Golf Club in the United Arab Emirates.

ENTER the SWEEPSTAKES HERE

Now you and three others have the opportunity to win a round of golf with caddies at the award-winning Troon North Golf Club and be accompanied by Cheyenne as well as a host of other great prizes including a resort stay at Four Seasons Scottsdale at Troon North, personalized Callaway Chrome Soft Golf Balls and more!

The winner of the “Golf With Cheyenne Woods” sweepstakes will receive:

• Round of golf for four players at Troon North Golf Club…with Cheyenne Woods!
• Two night stay at Four Seasons Scottsdale at Troon North 
• Forecaddies from CADDIEMASTER
• Lunch for the four winners at Troon North Dynamite Grille
• Dinner that evening at Troon North Dynamite Grille
• A hosted beverage cart
• Troon North Gear
• Complimentary round-trip golf club shipping for two courtesy of Ship Sticks(ground service level within the Continental U.S.)

No purchase is necessary to enter the “Golf With Cheyenne Woods” sweepstakes and those entering will automatically be enrolled into the Troon Rewards program. The prize redemption period for golf with Cheyenne Woods and stay at the Four Seasons Scottsdale at Troon North is September 3 through December 15, 2019, on a mutually agreeable day that works with Cheyenne’s playing schedule, plus golf and resort availability.

The sweepstakes drawing will take place on September 2, 2019 and the winner will be notified via email.

Please see the Troon Cheyenne Woods Sweepstakes Terms & Conditions.

ABOUT TROON
Headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., Troon is the world’s largest golf management company providing services at more than 460 locations around the globe, including managing 510 18-hole equivalent golf courses. In addition to golf, Troon specializes in homeowner association management, private residence clubs, estate management and associated hospitality venues. Troon’s award-winning food and beverage division operates and manages more than 400 food and beverage operations located at golf resorts, private clubs, daily fee golf courses and recreational facilities. With properties located in 45 states and 30 countries, Troon’s family of brands includes Troon Golf, Troon Privé, Troon International, Honours Golf, OB Sports, CADDIEMASTER, True Club Solutions, Cliff Drysdale Tennis and RealFood Consulting. There are currently 67 Troon-affiliated properties featuring 87 golf courses on national and international “Top 100” rankings. Troon-affiliated properties include Belfair in Bluffton, South Carolina; Wickenburg Ranch Golf & Social Club in Wickenburg, Ariz.; Yocha Dehe Golf Club in Brooks, Calif.; Saadiyat Beach Golf Club in Abu Dhabi, UAE; and Buenaventura Golf Club in Panama. For additional news and information, visit www.Troon.com.

The 33rd PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship will be held this week at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie. The 54-hole Championship runs Friday through Sunday on the Ryder and Wanamaker courses and is preceded by Thursday night’s PGA WORKS Career Expo.

“We are of a firm belief that this is the most culturally significant championship in collegiate golf,” said Lortiz “Scooter” Clark, Manager of the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship.

“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 for most of their lives.”

Clark knows the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship better than anyone. He played in the inaugural tournament in 1987 (as well as the next three) and then, as Director of Intercollegiate Golf at Bethune-Cookman University, led the women’s and men’s teams to a combined 10 Division I titles, the most in tournament history. He was named Manager of the Championship by the PGA of America last year.

The PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship (formerly known as the National Minority College Championship) originated at a meeting in 1986, following the Jackson State University Golf Tournament. The goal was to elevate the game at minority colleges and universities by providing student-athletes 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.

“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,” Clark said.

Last year, Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach captured a record seventh straight — and 15th overall — women’s Division I crown, while the men’s team earned its third-consecutive championship and 10th title overall. The women won by 27 shots over runner-up University of the Incarnate Word and the men won by 57 shots over Savannah State.

Forty-one teams and 189 players – both records for the Championship – are entered this week. For the first time, there will be “live scoring” of the event, provided by the players themselves.

Both Wildcats teams return to defend their titles this week, along with Division II champion University of California State-Dominguez Hills winners of the division title for the third time in the last four years) and NAIA champion for the third straight year University of Houston-Victoria.

“The rankings don’t matter because everybody plays from the heart,” said University of California State-Dominguez Hills coach Ron Eastman.

The PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship is unlike any event as it provides a top-level championship in concert with its PGA WORKS Career Expo. The Expo is 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.

“Playing in this Championship was one of the largest connections in my life,” Clark said. “You meet people who will stay in your life forever.”

Tiger Woods performed a clinic at the 1996 Championship and former PGA Tour member Tim O’Neal played in the tournament. There will be a Long Drive Exhibition on Thursday with men’s and women’s Long Drive Champions, Maurice Allen and Phillis Meti, emceed by Golf Channel’s Jonathan Coachman.

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.

Here is a list of schools who will be playing in the 33rd PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship:

1. Alabama A&M University
2. Bethune-Cookman University
3. Bryan College
4. Bishop State Community College
5. California State University, Dominguez Hills
6. Chicago State University
7. Chowan University
8. Corban University
9. Eastern Michigan University
10. Fayetteville State University
11. Ferris State University
12. Florida A&M University
13. Governors State University
14. Hampton University
15. University of Houston-Victoria
16. University of Idaho
17. Johnson C. Smith University
18. Kentucky State University
19. Lake Forest College
20. LeMoyne College
21. Lincoln University
22. Livingstone College
23. University of Maryland Eastern Shore
24. Miles College
25. Mississippi State University
26. University of Nebraska-Lincoln
27. North Carolina A&T State University
28. North Carolina Central University
29. Paine College
30. Palm Beach Atlantic University
31. Sam Houston State University
32. Savannah State University
33. St. Augustine’s University
34. St. John’s University
35. St. Francis College- NY
36. Tennessee State University
37. Texas A&M University- Kingsville
38. University of Connecticut
39. University of British Columbia- Vancouver
40. Virginia State University
41. Warner Pacific University

Tiger Woods reacts as he wins the Masters golf tournament Sunday, April 14, 2019, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) ORG XMIT: AUG198

MAY 9, 2019

BY JOSHUA LOWE

After a fresh win at the Augusta National Golf Club that ended his 11-year title drought, former World Number 1 Tiger Woods looks set for another meteoric rise. Earning his fifth green jacket, the 43-year old Woods was candid about his past struggles and the challenges he had to overcome to get back to top form.

Of course, all that seems to be in the past as Woods gears up for another PGA Tour. Speculation has even risen over how much he’ll achieve and of course, who could potentially challenge him for the #1 spot.

One potential challenger comes in the form of Rory McIlroy. Yahoo! Sports writes how the 30-year-old Irishman has earned comparisons to Tiger Woods after achieving 15 PGA Tour titles ¬– a feat surpassed only by Jack Nicklaus and Woods himself. Despite it, murmurings of whether McIlroy has yet to achieve his full potential still abound.

By the age of 30, for example, Woods had already achieved 10 major wins. In comparison, McIlroy has just managed 4, meaning that he will have to play catch-up if he ever hopes to match Woods’ legacy. Furthermore, Woods at age 30 had achieved almost double the number (46) of overall titles that the Irishman currently holds (24).

Yet McIlroy is not without credentials of his own. The current world number four has the distinction of winning his 2012 US PGA Championship with a record margin of eight shots, all while holding the lowest 72-hole score in a US Open (268 shots back in 2011). If McIlroy keeps up the pace, pundits anticipate that Woods’ legacy could very well be overtaken sooner than expected.

Similarly, Dustin Johnson has also been named by pundits as a potential challenger to Tiger Woods. Speaking on who he thinks could keep up with Tiger Woods, Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee said, “It’s Rory and it’s Dustin Johnson and it’s Tiger Woods, but Tiger’s simply not going to play enough to get the points that he needs to get.” Head-to-head, Sports Illustrated points out that Johnson even laid claim to the Number One spot for 64 consecutive weeks back in early 2018. Coupled with the fact that he has six victories at World Golf Championships under his belt, it should be no surprise if the 34-year-old wins one more major in his remaining years in the sport.

Omitted from Chamblee’s assessment, however, is the 36-year-old Francesco Molinari. The native Italian has often been marked as one to watch out for, with bwin Golf News reporting how his odds for the 2019 Players Championship were just behind that of eventual winner Rory McIlroy’s. In fact, Molinari even had better odds (+2200) than Woods (+2500), as the superstar was still recovering from an injury scare. Additionally, the Italian has demonstrated an ability to get back to his top form after closing with 64 to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational and is now at +2000 odds for the US PGA Championship. Coupled with a metronomic drive, the Italian could still pull a few surprises.

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – NOVEMBER 18: Francesco Molinari of Italy poses with the Race to Dubai trophy following the final round of the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates on November 18, 2018 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

In this new era of golf, it seems that there are still too many contenders to firmly say who is the sport’s new best ever. But with the rest of the PGA Tour yet to unfold, the debate could be settled in a matter of weeks.

Left-to-Right: Tim Arrington, Abdel Raoul, and Chicago Park District Superintendent Mike Kelly with Signed Letters from Tiger Woods.

CHICAGO, IL (April 29, 2019)—Community members gathered for the Jackson Park Golf Course Scholarship Celebration to honor recipients Tim Arrington and Abdel Raoul at the Jackson Park Fieldhouse located at 6401 S Stony Island Avenue in Chicago, Ill.  The highly anticipated program that will forever leave an indelible mark on both students.

While program organizers read a letter signed by Tiger Woods during the event, Tim and Abdel were truly moved.  Woods’ letter stated:

“Congratulations to you both. I am very impressed by your accomplishments. Tim, well done earning a prestigious Evans Scholarship and I wish you the best of luck at Marquette University. This scholarship shows the hard work, dedication and academic commitment you made while working at Jackson Park.

“Abdel, my best wishes to you as you fulfill your dream of earning a Division I academic and golf scholarship. I know your scholastic and golfing talents will be evident to everyone at Prairie View A&M University.

“Along with excelling in golf, Tim and Abdel are interested in pursuing medicine and mechanical engineering, respectively. You could not ask for two better representatives of this community. Tim and Abdel, I’m proud of you.

“All the best, Tiger Woods.”

How did the two students react?
Tim and Abdel were both elated and surprised that the 2019 Masters Champion would send them such a personal tribute.

Chicago Park District General Superintendent & CEO Mike Kelly attended the event, telling Raoul and Arrington: “I dreamed about being both of you. I dreamed about being a Division I golfer, but it didn’t work out. And I applied for the Evans Scholarship many years ago but didn’t get it. What you guys are doing, and what you’re going to do for all of us, makes us all proud.”

Chicago Park District Superintendent and CEO Mike Kelly presented Arrington and Raoul with the surprise congratulatory letters which had been personally signed by Tiger Woods.  Chicago’s 5^th Ward Alderman Leslie Hairston added personal remarks, followed by comments from the scholars and their families.  Due to weather conditions, the event which was originally planned at Jackson Park Golf Course was moved indoors to Jackson Park Fieldhouse due to rain.

Abdel Raoul and Tim Arrington Show Their Signed Letters from Tiger Woods to Chicago’s 5th Ward Alderman Leslie Hairston. (Chicago Parks Golf Alliance photo)

5th Ward Alderman Leslie Hairston in her introductory remarks said, “This is a wonderful event. It lets you know that our young people are active and involved in the parks; and yes, we do play golf.”  Following the presentation of Tiger’s signed letters Hairston continued, “Well…I can’t compete with Tiger Woods, but Congratulations to Tim and Abdel. You make the South Side proud. You make the City Proud. You make this Ward proud. I have no doubt that your futures are shiny and bright and the world is your oyster. Whatever it is that you want to achieve, you will achieve. I am confident in that.”

“Being a single mother, I wanted Tim to be exposed to nature, calm and God’s beautiful creation. Especially living in the inner-city, I wanted him to have an outlet and release mechanism, and
what better way to have that than out on the greens.,” said Michelle Murff, the other of Tim Arrington.

Abdel Raoul (center) displays his signed letter from Tiger Woods, with his Mother Tracy Raoul (left) and father Philip Raoul (right). (Chicago Parks Golf Alliance photo)

Onstage Abdel Raoul said, “I’ve known Tim since 4th grade. Seeing him here, and seeing everybody that came out to support us. I’m truly honored and blessed and I thank everybody.” Tim Arrington said,  “Ever since I became a caddie, THIS is what it has been for. I am going to use the Evans Scholarship to change the world, since it changed my life, I have to change other people’s lives.”

Tim Arrington and his mother, Michelle Murff-Arington.

Following the presentation. regarding the letter from Tiger Abdel indicated, “Tiger has been my role model on the golf course, and with the greatness he brings, it’s an honor. I’m truly grateful. Nobody told me this would happen, and with everybody showing up, I was absolutely surprised.”  Arrington remarked, “Tonight means the world to me. My mother and I have been struggling a little bit. To have this opportunity with all these people supporting me, and to have Tiger Woods noticing the progress we’ve made: That’s amazing. That’s Awesome!

(Above) The signed letter from Tiger Woods to Tim and Abdel

Interview with 5th Ward Alderman Leslie Hairston

South Shore resident Craig Bowen; President of Black College Golf Coaches Association, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor to the Chicago Parks Golf Alliance

(Below) Op-Ed submitted to Chicago Tribune by South Shore resident Craig Bowen; President of Black College Golf Coaches Association, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor to the Chicago Parks Golf Alliance

After 30+ years advocating for diversity and inclusion in the golf industry as a coach, historian and promoter; April 29th, 2019 will stand among my proudest memories. 125 Chicagoans gathered at Jackson Park Fieldhouse, joined by 5 th Ward Alderman Leslie Hairston and Park District Superintendent Mike Kelly, to honor college scholarship recipients Tim Arrington and Abdel Raoul. As reported by the Chicago Tribune’s Teddy Greenstein, highlights included congratulatory letters from Tiger Woods and remarks by Abdel’s mother Tracy Raoul: “There are hundreds of children that can benefit the same way our family has. We need more programs, and we definitely need a great golf course so these children can thrive.”

Astoundingly, within 24 hours, the Chicago Tribune editorial board characterized efforts to improve the Jackson Park and South Shore Golf Courses as “straight into a bunker.” The editorial requested more details, so please consider the following to address its misconceptions of transparency, price and access, economic development and funding.

Transparency:

Designs for the golf course and surrounding park features have been developed through collaboration between Tiger Woods’ TGR Design team, local golfers and community residents. The Chicago Park District recorded 2,300 registered attendees at 13 public meetings. Moreover, the editorial excluded that the Alderman and Park District Superintendent spent the preceding evening with patrons of Jackson Park and South Shore golf courses.

Price and Access:

As a board member for Jackson Park Golf Association, representing over 500 members of African American golf leagues and clubs on the South Side, deliberations have been thorough and passionate. Yet, consensus endures from our October 2017 letter to the Chicago Tribune, “JPGA is confident in the Park District’s pledge to keep rates below $50 for Chicago residents. Providing free golf for juniors will also continue and that proposed pricing is acceptable to our golfers.”

Economic Development:

The golf industry in Illinois has exceeded $2 billion annually, while supporting over 50,000 jobs. Only a paltry dozen of those jobs currently exist at Jackson Park and South Shore. Before devoting resources to hypothetical studies, team members have collaborated with neighborhood business leaders from the South Shore Chamber of Commerce to evaluate and prepare for new opportunities. The Chamber’s assessment: “Tiger Woods and his team have come up with a design that will give community golfers the course they deserve and thrust millions of dollars into the local economy…The influx of revenue from the new golf course will not only strengthen local businesses but stimulate job growth in a community whose unemployment rate is close to 12%.”

Funding:

Preliminary contributions to the 501(c)3 Chicago Parks Golf Alliance fostered the aforementioned achievements. Generosity of families, foundations and corporations provides testament for the philanthropic efforts ahead. Specifically, we must thank Mike and Lindy Keiser. Their participation bears credentials in the golf industry and Chicagoland philanthropy; including campaigns for Millennium Park and the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab.

The editorial also questioned public investment for infrastructure improvements in the South Shore neighborhood. The Chicago Tribune’s Blair Kamin recently complimented projects to improve lakefront connectivity on the South Side, “It can invite shifts in the fate of neighborhoods, in our patterns of movement, and even perhaps in our region’s longstanding divisions of race and class.” Kamin’s article focused on Bronzeville, but the need for safer connectivity persists four miles south at 67th Street.

While commemorating the Park District’s 85th Anniversary at the City Club Luncheon on May 1 st, Mike Kelly extolled the virtues of Tim Arrington and Abdel Raoul. Kelly pleaded, “Give us a chance. We’ve got big things coming to Chicago.” More importantly, let’s give our children and neighbors a chance!

The 33rd PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship will be held
May 8-12, 2019 at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida

BY AAGD STAFF

May 3, 2019—The PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship (formerly known as the National Minority College Championship) along with the corresponding PGA WORKS Career Expo, will take place from May 8-12 on the Ryder and Wanamaker Courses at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

The five-person Team Competition (women’s and men’s) is open to historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions as defined by the U.S. Department of Education. The 2018 Division Champions will receive an automatic entry into the 2019 PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship if eligibility criteria are still being met. Past Champions were still required to submit an application.  The PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship (most recently known as the PGA Minority Collegiate Championship) is the most culturally significant Championship in collegiate golf.  It is also recognized as the most culturally significant championship in collegiate golf which combines top-level competition with a one-of-a-kind career development program.

Its Individual Competition is open to all students who are listed on the roster of their college golf team or part of the PGA Golf Management University Program and is required to be one of the following ethnic origins:

• American Indian
• Alaska Native
• Asian
• African American
• Hispanic
• Latinx
• Middle Eastern North African
• Native Hawaiian
• Other Pacific Islander

Participation in the Individual Competition is not restricted to historically Black colleges and universities or other minority-serving institutions.

“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 in an earlier press release by the PGA.

Clark added, “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.

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.

For coverage, follow @PGAWORKS on twitter Instagram and Facebook there will be live scoring, on course video, and updates /stories to follow constantly being updated. Golf Channel will also have highlights at the end of each day. 

Business of Golf Career Expo: Thursday, May 9, 2019, 4:00pm-7:30pm

The Business of Golf Career Expo, held on Thursday, May 9, 4:00pm-7:30pm in conjunction with the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship.  The Expo features golf industry associations and companies that enable student-athletes to learn about employment and internship opportunities in manufacturing, media, trade, golf course management and the game’s premier governing bodies.

Career Expo Overview 

The Business of Golf Career Expo is the best opportunity in golf for employers to connect one on one with a diverse pool of talented, aspirational, and inspirational student-athletes seeking internships and entry-level employment. In 2017:

• 185 student-athletes attended
• 39 HBCUs, HSIs, and minority-serving institutions were represented
• 74% were from multicultural backgrounds
• 45% were juniors and seniors and 30% were women

Student-athletes will have the opportunity to present resumes for internships and employment.

The following companies are scheduled to be exhibiting in 2019:

• Advocates Pro Tour
• Acushnet
• AIG
• AJGA
• Billy Casper Golf
• ClubCorp
• GolfTec
• LPGA
• Hilton Garden Inn
• Octagon
• PGA Golf Club
• PGA of America
• PGA Tour
• Taylor Made Golf
• TopGolf
• Troon Golf
• USGA

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.