By James Beatty
As avid, interested, anxious and ever optimistic fans we all share in the desire to know how “our” folks are doing on their respective professional tours. Mind you, we like all golfers–some more than others– really want to know how our ‘sisters and brothers’ are doing out there, especially since there are only eight women and eight men that have status on the various LPGA and PGA tours.
This featured article is the African American Golfer’s Digest’s research effort to give our readers, fans, followers, and supporters an overview on the standings of African Americans on the various pro tours.
However, the first order of business is to list each of the LPGA and PGA tours and to understand the history, importance, and relevance of each. Tours are listed in sequential order as it relates to ultimately obtaining an LPGA or PGA tour card.
Included is background information on why a certain tour is known by a specific name ergo the naming rights. I used information from the respective tour’s website as well as other sources in an effort to provide an overview. Please understand that this information is limited to the tours associated with the LPGA and the PGA.
1.The Symetra Tour
The mission of the Symetra Tour is to prepare the world’s best young women professional golfers for a successful career on the LPGA Tour. The Symetra Tour is known as “the Road to the LPGA” and since 1999, it has been designated as the LPGA’s official developmental tour. The LPGA acquired the Symetra Tour in July 2007. A total of 117 women have graduated from the Symetra Tour to the LPGA since 1999.
The Symetra Tour is the most established women’s developmental tour in the world, entering 38th years of structured competition in 2018.
In November 2011, the Tour signed a multi-year agreement with national title sponsor Symetra and will operate as the Symetra Tour. In October of 2015, the Symetra Tour announced that Symetra extended its title sponsorship of the Tour through the 2021 season and announced a purse subsidy program.
Naming Rights
Symetra Financial Corporation is a diversified financial services company based in Bellevue, Washington. In business since 1957, Symetra provides employee benefits, annuities and life insurance through a national network of benefits consultants, financial institutions and independent agents and advisors. Symetra is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Life Insurance Company.
Sumitomo Life, founded in 1907 and headquartered in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, is a leading life insurer in Japan with multi-channel, multi-product life insurance businesses. Sumitomo Life provides traditional mortality life insurance, nursing care, medical care and retirement plans through sales representatives, insurance outlets, the Internet and bank assurance. As of March 31, 2015, Sumitomo Life had $229 billion in assets, approximately 6.8 million customers, and 42,000 employees.
- The LPGA
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is one of the longest-running women’s professional sports associations in the world. Founded in 1950, the organization has grown from its roots as a playing tour into a nonprofit organization involved in every facet of golf. The LPGA Tour and the LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals (T&CP) comprise the backbone of what has become the premier women’s professional sports organization in the world today. The LPGA maintains a strong focus on charity through its tournaments, its grassroots junior and women’s programs, and its LPGA Foundation.
Today’s LPGA Tour features the most talented global group of professional athletes who, in 2017, will compete in 34 official money events in 15 countries. Of the more than 530 LPGA Tour members, approximately 220 are active competitors throughout the season. Of that group, 125 are international members representing 32 different countries
PGA Tour China is a China-based men’s professional golf tour as part of the PGA Tour‘s global expansion. The tour started in 2014. After a hiatus in 2017, the tour resumed in 2018 is known as PGA Tour Series China.
The United States-based PGA Tour started PGA Tour China in 2014, joining PGA Tour Canada and PGA Tour Latinoamérica as international developmental tours. Similar to the Canadian and Latinoamerica tours, PGA Tour China offers a path to the Web.com Tour for top finishers. It also offers Official World Golf Ranking points to the top-six finishers at each tournament. The top five finishers on the Order of Merit at season’s end receive promotion to the Web.com Tour. The money leader is fully exempt, while the other four players receive conditional status. Those who place second through tenth on the Order of Merit advance to the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament’s final stage. The top-50 players on the Order of Merit at the end of the season retain PGA Tour China privileges for the following year.
- LatinoAmerica
PGA Tour Latinoamérica is a third level professional golf tour formed in 2012 and operated by the PGA Tour. It was formed in concert with the now defunct Tour de las Américas. Executives from the Tour de las Américas became employees of the new tour. The initial 2012 season runs from September to December and consists of 11 tournaments in seven Latin American countries. Subsequent years’ schedules will run in two swings, March to May (Southern Hemisphere autumn) and October to December (spring).
PGA Tour Latinoamérica is one of a number of lower-tier tours that factor into the Official World Golf Ranking, awarding a minimum of six points to the winner and points to the top six plus ties. The top five in the tour’s Order of Merit earn status on the Web.com Tour, with the money leader being fully exempt. The Order of Merit Winner also receives the Roberto de VicenzoAward, named after one of the first golf stars to come out of Latin America. Players finishing 6th-50th retain privileges on PGA Tour Latinoamérica, but can also advance to the Web.com Tour’s qualifying school depending on position. Those 2nd-5th can also improve their status at Web.com Tour Q School, gaining entry into the final stage.
The field consists of a maximum 144 players, with the top fifty plus ties making the cut at each event.
- The MacKenzie Tour – Canada
PGA Tour Canada is a men’s professional golf tour headquartered in Oakville, Ontario. It was formally started in 1970 and was initially known as the Peter Jackson Tour, and became the Canadian Professional Golf Tour in 1986. The U.S. PGA Tour took over operation of the tour on November 1, 2012, at which time it was renamed PGA Tour Canada. Historically, it has been commonly known as the Canadian Tour.
In October 2012, the PGA Tour acquired the Canadian Tour, renaming it PGA Tour Canada effective November 1, 2012, for first use in the 2013 season. Under the new system, the top five players on the PGA Tour Canada Order of Merit earn Web.com Tour cards, with the money leader fully exempt and those 2nd-5th conditionally exempt. Players ranked 2nd through 10th are exempt through to the finals of qualifying school and those who finish 11th–20th are admitted to the second stage. The re-tooled tour offered at least eight tournaments per season, with total purses of about $150,000 apiece. For 2015, the purses were increased to $175,000 for the first eleven events. Those who finish in the Top 60 earn entry into season-ending Freedom 55 Financial Championship, with a $200,000 purse and are guaranteed at minimum full PGA Tour Canada status for the next season. In 2018, the purses were increased to $200,000 and $225,000 respectively.
Like many smaller tours, PGA Tour Canada has its own series of qualifying schools at various sites. The medalist at each site is fully exempt for the season. Those in the top 16 (not including ties) are exempt through the first four events, when a reshuffle occurs. In the event of a tie, a playoff determines the final exempt position. Those in the top 40 including ties are conditionally exempt.
In 2015, Mackenzie Investments became the tour’s umbrella sponsor. For the next six years, the tour was named Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada.
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NAMING RIGHTS
Mackenzie Investments was founded in 1967 and is one of Canada’s largest investment management firms by assets under management. Mackenzie Investments provides investment advisory and related services for retail and institutional clients. With $64.4 billion in assets under management, Mackenzie Investments distributes its services through a diversified network of third-party financial advisors. Mackenzie Investments is a member of the IGM Financial Inc. (TSX: IGM) group of companies. IGM Financial is one of Canada’s largest financial services companies by assets with over $141 billion in total assets under management.
- The WEB.com
The Web.com Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour and features professional golfers who have either not yet reached the PGA Tour, or who have done so but then failed to win enough FedEx Cup points to stay at that level. Those who are on the top 25 of the money list at year’s end are given PGA Tour memberships for the next season. Since the 2013 season, the Web.com Tour has been the primary pathway for those seeking to earn their PGA Tour card. Q-School, which had previously been the primary route for qualification to the PGA Tour, has been converted as an entryway to the Web.com Tour.
Announced in early 1989 by PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman, the “satellite tour” was formalized by the PGA Tour in 1990, originally named the Ben Hogan Tour, sponsored by the Ben Hogan Golf Company. The first season of 1990 had 30 events, and the typical event purse was $100,000.Late in the third year, Nike acquired the title sponsorship and it became the Nike Tour for seven seasons (1993–99); with another sponsorship change, it then became the Buy.com Tour for three seasons (2000–02).
Naming rights for the tour were purchased by Nationwide Insurance and it was renamed the Nationwide Tour for 2003. In 2007 there were 32 events, one each in Australia, New Zealand, and Panama, with the remainder in the United States. The events in Australia and New Zealand were co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia. Canada and Mexico have hosted events since 2008, and Colombia hosted an event in 2010. Purses in 2010 ranged from $500,000 to $1 million, about one-tenth of the level on the PGA Tour.
After 9 1⁄2 seasons as the Nationwide Tour, Web.com was announced as the new title sponsor in late June 2012with a 10-year sponsorship deal, the tour’s name was changed in mid-season
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web.com_Tour
Eligibility on the 2018 web.com can be viewed on this site https://www.pgatour.com/webcom/news/2018/eligibility-ranking.html
TOUR NAMING RIGHTS
Web.com is an Internet services provider to small- and medium-sized businesses; the company is based in Jacksonville, Fla.
Since 1997 Web.com (Nasdaq: WEB) has been the marketing partner for businesses wanting to connect with more customers and grow. We listen, then apply our expertise to deliver solutions that owners need to market and manage their businesses, from building brands online to reaching more customers or growing relationships with existing customers. For some, this means a fast, reliable, attractive website; for others, it means customized marketing plans that deliver local leads; and for others, it means customer-scheduling or customer-relationship marketing (CRM) tools that help businesses run more efficiently. Owners from big to small can focus on running the companies they know while we handle the marketing they need.
- PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
The Senior PGA Championship, founded in 1937, was for many years the only high-profile tournament for golfers over 50. The idea for a senior tour grew out of a highly successful event in 1978, the Legends of Golf, which featured competition between two-member teams of some of the greatest older golfers of that day. The tour was formally established in 1980 and was originally known as the Senior PGA Tour until October 2002. The tour was then renamed the Champions Tour through the 2015 season, after which the current name of “PGA Tour Champions” was adopted.
Of the 26 tournaments on the 2010 schedule, all were in the United States except for the Senior Open Championship, a tournament in the Dominican Republic that started in 2008, and tournaments in Canada and South Korea starting in 2010. The guaranteed minimum official prize money is $51.5 million over 26 tournaments, with a record average purse of $1.98 million per event; slightly higher than the 2008 prize money of $51.4 million over the same number of events. The total prize money and number of events, however, are down from previous years—for example, the 2007 tour offered a total of $55.2 million over 29 events.
Most of the tournaments are played over three rounds (54 holes), which is one round fewer than regular professional stroke play tournaments on the PGA Tour. Because of this and having smaller fields (81 golfers), there are generally no “cuts” between any of the rounds. However, the five senior majors have a full 72 holes (four rounds) with a 36-hole cut.
Click here for Information on qualifications to play on the PGA Champions tour can be found at https://qualifying.pgatourhq.com/static-assets/uploads/pgatc-2017-player-handbook_v8.pdf
The PGA TOUR
The PGA Tour began 88 years ago in 1929 and at various times the tournament players had attempted to operate independently from the club professionals. With an increase in revenue in the late 1960s due to expanded television coverage, a dispute arose between the touring professionals and the PGA of America on how to distribute the windfall. The tour players wanted larger purses, where the PGA desired the money to go to the general fund to help grow the game at the local level. Following the final major in July 1968 at the PGA Championship, several leading tour pros voiced their dissatisfaction with the venue and the abundance of club pros in the field. The increased friction resulted in a new entity in August, what would eventually become the PGA Tour. Tournament players formed their own organization, American Professional Golfers, Inc. (APG), independent of the PGA of America.
After several months, a compromise was reached in December: the tour players agreed to abolish the APG and form the PGA “Tournament Players Division,” a fully autonomous division under the supervision of a new 10-member Tournament Policy Board. The board consisted of four tour players, three PGA of America executives, and three outside members, initially business executives.
Joseph Dey, the recently retired USGA executive director, was selected by the board as the tour’s first commissioner in January 1969 and agreed to a five-year contract. He was succeeded by tour player Deane Beman in early 1974, who served for twenty years. The name officially changed to the “PGA Tour” in 1975. Beman was succeeded by commissioner Tim Finchem in June 1994. On January 1, 2017, Jay Monahan succeeded Finchem as commissioner.
In late August 1981, the PGA Tour had a marketing dispute with the PGA of America and officially changed its name to the “TPA Tour,” for the “Tournament Players Association.”The disputed issues were resolved within seven months and the tour’s name was changed back to the “PGA Tour” in March 1982.
The PGA Tour places a strong emphasis on charity fundraising, usually on behalf of local charities in cities where events are staged. With the exception of a few older events, PGA Tour rules require all Tour events to be non-profit; the Tour itself is also a non-profit company. In 2005, it started a campaign to push its all-time fundraising tally past one billion dollars (“Drive to a Billion”), and it reached that mark one week before the end of the season. However, monies raised for charities derive from the tournaments’ positive revenues (if any), and not any actual monetary donation from the PGA Tour, whose purse monies and expenses are guaranteed. The number of charities which receive benefits from PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions and Web.com Tour events is estimated at over 2,000. In 2009, the total raised for charity was some $108 million. The organization announced to have generated $180 million for charities in 2017 through the tournaments of its six tours.
Who are “OUR” Players?
The list of golfers to follow was developed by me in consultation with AAGD publisher, Debert Cook and Michael Cooper, Chairman of the World Golf Foundation Golf 2020 Diversity Initiative Task Force. Every effort was made to identify these players regardless of the number of events in which they participated thru June 15, 2018. The sixteen players are listed as follows.
THE PLAYERS and THEIR TOURS:
| 1 |  |
AMIRA | ALEXANDER | LPGA – SYMETRA |
| 2 |  |
SHASTA | AVERYHARDT | LPGA – SYMETRA |
| 3 |  |
JOSEPH | BRAMLETT | PGA –WEB.COM |
| 4 |  |
CAMERON | CHAMP | PGA –WEB.COM |
| 5 |  |
KEVIN | HALL | PGA – WEB.COM |
| 6 |  |
GINGER | HOWARD | LPGA – SYMETRA |
| 7 |  |
WILLIE | MACK III | PGA –LATINOAMERICA |
| 8 |  |
TIM | O’NEAL | PGA – WEB.COM |
| 9 |  |
SADENA | PARKS | LPGA – SYMETRA |
| 10 |  |
MONIFA | SEALY | LPGA – SYMETRA |
| 11 |  |
SIERRA | SIMS | LPGA – SYMETRA |
| 12 |  |
MARIAH | STACKHOUSE | LPGA |
| 13 |  |
JIM | THORPE | PGA – CHAMPIONS |
| 14 |  |
HAROLD | VARNER III | PGA |
| 15 |  |
CHEYENNE | WOODS | LPGA |
| 16 |  |
TIGER | WOODS | PGA |
If you want to see details such as driving distances, putts per round etc. as compiled by the respective tours on each of these players, the links to each one is provided below:
DETAILED PLAYER INFORMATION
2018 RESULTS THRU JUNE 15, 2018
| First Name | Last Name | Tour | 2018 Events | Cuts Made | 2018 Money | 2018 Rank |
| Amira | Alexander | Symetra | 1 | 1 | $0 | 0 |
| Shasta | Averyhardt | Symetra | 0 | 0 | $0 | 0 |
| Joseph | Bramlett | Web.com | 10 | 9 | $87,618 | 33/212 |
| Cameron | Champ | Web.com | 11 | 8 | $70,041 | 42/212 |
| Kevin | Hall | Web.com | 0 | 0 | $0 | 0 |
| Ginger | Howard | Symetra | 2 | 1 | $656 | 127/139 |
| Willie | Mack III | Latino America | 3 | 1 | $766 | 142/168 |
| Tim | O’Neal | Web.com | 1 | 1 | $1,386 | 209/212 |
| Sadena | Parks | Symetra | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 |
| Monifa | Sealy | Symetra | 0 | 0 | $3,355 | 135 |
| Mariah | Stackhouse | LPGA | 12 | 10 | $142,251 | 56/176 |
| Jim | Thorpe | Champions | 4 | 4 | $9,309 | 118/166 |
| Harold | Varner III | PGA | 20 | 12 | $608,854 | 124/247 |
| Cheyenne | Woods | LPGA | 12 | 5 | $38,357 | 116/176 |
| Tiger | Woods | PGA | 10 | 8 | $1,505,312 | 53/247 |
Some of these good folks on tour have had a journey for several years and are to be commended and admired for their commitment and relentless pursuit of their goals. I have also provided an overview of their careers from a earnings perspective.
Consider this question as you review their season and career stats: “Would you want your earnings information provided for the whole world to see?”
CAREER EARNINGS
| First Name | Last Name | Career Earnings | Age | Year Turned Pro |
| Amira | Alexander | $0 | 24 | 2017 |
| Shasta | Averyhardt | $26,426 | 32 | 2010 |
| Joseph | Bramlett | $315,658 | 30 | 2010 |
| Cameron | Champ | $70,041 | 23 | 2017 |
| Kevin | Hall | $6,540 | 35 | 2005 |
| Ginger | Howard | $70,119 | 24 | 2012 |
| Willie | Mack III | $766 | 29 | 2018 |
| Tim | O’Neal | $177,623 | 45 | 1997 |
| Sadena | Parks | $66,603 | 28 | 2013 |
| Monifa | Sealy | $6,470 | 24 | 2016 |
| Sierra | Sims | $16,754 | 22 | 2017 |
| Mariah | Stackhouse | $223,929 | 24 | 2017 |
| Jim | Thorpe | $13,936,083 | 69 | 1972 |
| Harold | Varner III | $2,868,152 | 27 | 2012 |
| Cheyenne | Woods | $267,467 | 27 | 2015 |
| Tiger | Woods | $111,566,324 | 42 | 1996 |
For the sake of comparison, I have included the top 5 money earnings through June 24, 2018 from each of the tours with the exception of China. The data also shows the number of tournaments in which each player has completed.
Symetra Tour
LPGA Tour
PGA LATINOAMERICA TOUR
MACKENZIE TOUR CANADA
WEB.Com Tour
PGA Senior Tour
PGA Tour
I am sure these pros would like to hear from as many of us as possible. We all know golf has its ups and downs and your words of support and encouragement for any or all of them would provide motivation during their respective pursuits on the course. If you want to know what they might be saying and doing then follow them on social media. I have provided their respective Facebook and Twitter information
| First Name | Last Name | |
| Amira | Alexander | https://www.facebook.com/amira.alexander.58 |
| Shasta | Averyhardt | https://www.facebook.com/shastaaveryhardt/ |
| Joseph | Bramlett | https://www.facebook.com/joe.bramlett |
| Cameron | Champ | https://www.facebook.com/cameron.champ |
| Kevin | Hall | https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001354091340 |
| Ginger | Howard | https://www.facebook.com/GingerHowardLPGA/ |
| Willie | Mack III | https://www.facebook.com/willie.mackiii |
| Tim | O’Neal | https://www.facebook.com/tim.oneal.528 |
| Sadena | Parks | https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=sadena%20parks |
| Monifa | Sealy | NA |
| Sierra | Sims | https://www.facebook.com/sierra.sims.50 |
| Mariah | Stackhouse | https://www.facebook.com/mariah.stackhouse |
| Jim | Thorpe | https://www.facebook.com/groups/201000856577638/about/ |
| Harold | Varner III | https://www.facebook.com/harold.varner.7 |
| Cheyenne | Woods | https://www.facebook.com/Cheyenne.Woods.Golfer/ |
| Tiger | Woods | https://www.facebook.com/thetwfans/ |
FOLLOW THEM ON TWITTER
| First Name | Last Name | Twitter @ |
| Amira | Alexander | NA |
| Shasta | Averyhardt | IamSAveryhardt |
| Joseph | Bramlett | Joseph_Bramlett |
| Cameron | Champ | Cameron_Champ |
| Kevin | Hall | KevinMHallOSU |
| Ginger | Howard | GingerTHoward |
| Willie | Mack III | WillieMackIII |
| Tim | O’Neal | NA |
| Sadena | Parks | SadenaParks |
| Monifa | Sealy | sealy_mo |
| Sierra | Sims | Sies_the_day |
| Mariah | Stackhouse | MoStacksBirdies |
| Jim | Thorpe | ThorpeGolf |
| Harold | Varner III | HV3_Golf |
| Cheyenne | Woods | Cheyenne_Woods |
| Tiger | Woods | TigerWoods |
I hope this overview provides the information you want to know our players. Golf is their life ‘s ambition and I have tried to provide an insight. Feel free to contact me if you would like to see other insights on the game and business of golf as it relates to African Americans. Contact me, AAGD Executive Editor, at jbeatty138@aol.com.
AAGD utilized public sources to obtain all information. Please notify AAGD of any errors or omissions.
James Beatty, Executive Editor, African American Golfer’s Digest James R. Beatty is Founder of NCS International, an Omaha, Nebraska-based company that providers of an array of economic development services. He serves as Executive Editor at the African American Golfer’s Digest and on the Golf 20/20 Diversity Task Force. Jim has also recently launched Jim Beatty Golf Ventures, a golf promotion and management company.
