LAST SEPTEMBER AT THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP,
the PGA TOUR’s annual season finale at East
Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Commissioner Jay
Monahan pledged that the organization would
make a deeper commitment to addressing racial
and social justice issues. First and foremost, its
leadership would do so by listening and learning,
in order to do better as an organization. The
TOUR pledged not only to reflect upon its role in
helping to end inequality and injustice but also
launched its endeavor with a 10-year, $100 million
commitment to support racial equality and
inclusion efforts.
A lot can happen in a year. In the case of the
PGA TOUR, its scorecard to date tells an encour-
aging story.
The TOUR expanded its relationship with the
Advocates Pro Golf Association (APGA) Tour, a
nonprofit organization founded in 2008 with the
goal of preparing minority golfers for careers in
the golf industry, either as players or business
leaders. Progress has already come in the form
of players like APGA star Willie Mack III. Mack
competed on the PGA TOUR and saw some early
success, as he made the cut in his two most
recent TOUR starts. After winning the Master-
card APGA Tour Championship, Mack received a
full scholarship to the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying
School. The Korn Ferry Tour is the PGA TOUR’s
top-tier development tour and a gateway to the
PGA TOUR itself.
Mack is an early standout, and the TOUR hopes
that his success is an indicator of what’s to come.
“We’re identifying, preparing, and transitioning
top African American collegiate golfers into
professional golf,” Monahan says. “We’re providing
stipends and scholarships for the top five players
in the APGA Collegiate Ranking to participate in
APGA events, and to receive an exemption into
the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying Tournament.”Corporate Support
Another main point of emphasis for the TOUR
since last year was to expand its collaborationwith historically Black colleges and universities,
or HBCUs. That initiative received a significant
boost when the TOUR, in conjunction with one of
its corporate partners, United Airlines, announced
that every one of the 51 current men’s and wom-
en’s HBCU golf programs in the U.S. will receive a
$10,000 grant for their upcoming season.
“Our HBCU task force surveyed these programs
at length and, repeatedly, we heard that engag-
ing the TOUR’s vast and diverse partner network
to offset the financial burdens many HBCU golf
programs face was the priority,” says Monahan.
“We’re thankful to United Airlines for taking the
initiative and supporting the HBCU grant program.”
Among other things, the grants will allow
these teams to travel farther afield for competi-
tions, gaining valuable experience, both as it
relates to golf and the world beyond the fairways.
That’s exciting news for players like A.J. Ford, a
freshman at North Carolina A&T who is a state
champion with Drew Charter School in Atlanta
and a graduate of First Tee – Metro Atlanta.
It’s even exciting for his already well-traveled
teammate, two-time NBA champion J.R. Smith,
a former first-round NBA draft pick who came
straight out of high school and is now enrolled
at North Carolina A&T, following his own golf and
scholastic dreams.Internal Improvements
At its headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.,
the PGA TOUR is also working to bolster its internal
diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) efforts. It
recently announced the creation of the Office of
Social Responsibility and Inclusion, led by Neera
Shetty, the TOUR’s executive vice president and
deputy general counsel. Already an instrumental
voice as chair of the TOUR’s Inclusion Leadership
Council, Shetty will report through the Office of
the Commissioner in this new role.
“The creation of an Office of Social Responsi-
bility and Inclusion is the next step on our diversity,
equity, and inclusion journey,” says Marsha Oliver,
vice president, community and inclusion. “We areCONTENT FROM PGA TOURFORWARD MARCH
A year in, the PGA TOUR’s diversity, equity, and inclusion eorts
have advanced the ball well down the fairway.
“WE ARE WORKING
ACROSS OUR TOURS
AND WITH OUR
TOURNAMENTS,
SPONSORS, AND
PARTNERS TO
IDENTIFY WAYS TO
HAVE A POSITIVE
IMPACT SOCIALLY
AND ENVIRONMEN-
TALLY IN THE
COMMUNITIES
WHERE WE PLAY.”
MARSHA OLIVER
VICE PRESIDENT,
COMMUNITY AND
INCLUSION,
PGA TOUR