Wesley Yates, Professional Golfer
Wesley Yates is another urban success story that deserves more support than seems to come his way. The American professional golfer came up through the First Tee program in Atlanta, Ga., where he honed his basic golfing skills. During high school, the Region 5A Championship Winner earned a golf scholarship and went on to attend Florida A&M (HBCU) where he enjoyed several top finishes during his collegiate career. Wesley graduated in 2012 with a B.S. degree in Quantitative Analysis.
Strong and ambitious, Wesley turned pro in 2014 and ramped up his tournament playing schedule to reflect his new status. The 5’7″ golfer has competed on two international tours: PGA Tour LatinoAmerica and PGA Tour China (currently competing). In 2015, he completed the PGA Tour China Q-School. Gaining even more public recognition for his talents, he appeared on The Golf Channel “Altered Course” (Montego Bay, 2015).
Wesley, age 26, has played with golfing groups in that Atlanta area along with the well-known Atlanta Pro-Duffers, an African American golf club, comprised of professional businessmen. The Atlanta Pro-Duffers are very aware of the impact that finances make in helping a professional golfer stay on Tour and the group has been of assistance to several young, up-and-coming players, including Harold Varner III who is currently on the PGA Tour.
For Wesley, on a couple of tournament golfing occasions, the Atlanta Pro-Duffers have put him in with their best golfers, where he played from the tips, twice, during their scheduled plays at Mirror Lake Golf Course. “Wesley shot 68. I played with him Wednesday and he shot 69 from the tips,” says Karon Graves, Pro Duffers, President. “I along with the Atlanta Pro Duffers are very impressed with this young man. He is a humble young man with a great personality.”
Wesley came to the Pro Duffers prior to his first trip to start on the China Tour. The club contributed to his financial support, “We are 100% behind this young man and we hope that others will join us. He is back home now, after the first half of the China Tour, and he will be going back next Friday, August 26, 2016,” says Graves. The objective for Wesley is to compete on the China Tour in order to get onto the Web.com tour, which leads to the PGA Tour.
China Golf Tour 2017 Schedule:
Second HALF PGA TOUR CHINA Event
7 Aug 29 – Sept 4: Yulongwan Yunnan Open KUNMING Lakeview Yulongwan Golf Club
8 Sept 5 – 11: Pingan Bank Open BEIJING
9 Sept 12 – 18: KingRun Open CHONGQING Chongqing China KingRun Nanshan Golf Club
10 Sept 26 – Oct 2: Fujian Open FUJIAN
11 Oct 3 – Oct 9: TBDTBDTBD
12 Oct 31 – Nov 6: HONGKONG OPEN HONG KONG
13 Nov 7 – 13: BUICK OPEN GUANGZHOU
“This is a young man whose father did not take golf lessons himself because his son loved the game so much, and the game of golf was too expensive for the both of them. His father, Willie, works as an airline skycap at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. His mother, Elisa, is an infant hearing technician with a local hospital.” The resiliency and dedication of finances by the Yates family is what has gotten Wesley to this point in his golf career. During his initial departure to China, the help of Facebook friends, church members, and several golf buddies all gave donations to help him get there.
The Atlanta Pro-Duffers with professional golfer Wesley Yates (standing, center)
There is a lot at stake for Wesley and he’s giving this opportunity in his life his all. “My greatest motivation for playing the China Tour is that I want to fulfill my lifelong dream of playing on the PGA Tour and China is my gateway to doing that,” says Wesley. “My greatest fear is of not raising enough money to even have the opportunity to compete in China and earn my way up the ladder.”
“This young man worked and saved his money for two years to get himself on the China Tour,” says Graves. “He is now at the point where he needs financial assistance to keep him there for a period of time, to give himself a chance to make it. I have talked to him about attending our Spring Fling in 2017 (one of two national events hosted by the Pro Duffers), if his schedule permits him to do so, individuals will be able to come out and meet him at Innisbrook Golf Resort in April 2017.”
Wesley Yates, Professional Golfer
“This is the objective we talked about, getting an African American on tour. Well, this young man has gotten himself there, let’s give him some financial support in order to give him the chance he deserves.” Individuals wishing to assist with suggestions as to how more help can be gained for Wesley Yates may reach Karon Graves directly at karon120@bellsouth.net
View Wesley Yates Sponsorship Proposal HERE
To get to know Wesley better, up-close and personal, visit his YouTube page.
Graves asks that people “please share this information with your fellow golfers, business owners, celebrity friends and more, encourage them to contribute so this young man will have his opportunity for success and achieve his goal of giving back.” Visit Wesleyates.com to donate.
