![]() and now he’s got sponsors, he’s got an opportunity, that‘s kind of what the APGA is about." "Grew up in the worst neighborhood in Washington D.C. "Here’s a guy that had no money," Bentley said. It can be done, says Bentley, who pointed to Marcus Byrd, who has won five times as APGA’s top player and this year played in three PGA Tour events. "I think what we're doing with Team USA (through the development program) and investing in more inclusion and more opportunity and more accessibility hopefully changes this trajectory." "I would love this to be like a shortcut, like that we could just press the magic wand," he said. Perpall, serving a three-year term, shared some thoughts on the matter. What happens next?Įlecting a Black USGA president is no guarantee of creating enough top Black golfers to avoid wondering if there are any the U.S. "To make a true difference, we’re going to need two or three times that," he said. ![]() He said he spends about $30,000 a year on each of the 10 players in his developmental program. So Bentley continues to wonder while providing some math that might be helpful for the USGA. National Development Team, and we're going to make sure that talented kids, no matter what they look like or where they come from or how wealthy their parents are in the States, have chance to go − every other country in the world has a country program to foster and grow their youth pipeline." "I've said this for a lot of years, but now I'm sitting in a seat where we can do something about it," Whan said. In February, the USGA launched a national development program, and Whan said he’s aiming for grant money "in the neighborhood" of $40 million.īentley said he wonders how much of that money will be used to develop minority golfers. But I think it’s just moving slower than what we all felt like." How to speed up development of minority golfers "Certainly there are people out there trying to change the dynamics of golf. "I get frustrated because I’d like to see programs happen faster but I get energized when I see how optimistic the players are. "I’ve been at this a while and I frustrated," he said. This year, for example, the APGA will host 18 tournaments with a combined prize money for $1 million. Which is to provide access to top-flight equipment, instruction and opportunities. It involves doing what the golf world failed to do in a sustained, meaningful way. In 2010, Bentley set out to create infrastructure when he founded the Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) to develop professional minority golfers. "And I’m not sure in '97 if the people that ran golf were really ready for there to be an influx of African American golfers." "When Tiger won the Masters in '97, there was no infrastructure to say, 'OK, we want to integrate golf,' " said Bentley, who is Black and a member of the Farmers Insurance Exchange Board of Governors. He is keenly aware of the opportunity golf had when Woods burst onto the pro scene. STAY UP-TO-DATE: Subscribe to our Sports newsletter now!įred Perpall, who in February was elected as the USGA’s first Black president, said, "I think what happens in elite golf is a reflection of the choices we've made in the past." How did golf fail after rise of Tiger Woods?įor the past decade, Kenneth Bentley has served on the board of Tiger Woods’ foundation. "I feel like we all watched the Tiger Woods parade go by and then when the parade left, it actually left," Whan said. golf missed an opportunity with Woods’ dramatic rise as golf’s leading man. Open, says it does not ask players about their race, so it’s impossible to confirm there are no Black players.īut Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA, acknowledges the governing body of U.S. The caveat: The United States Golf Association (USGA), which conducts the U.S. Open to be played at The Los Angeles Country Club has a clear void: no known Black players. More than 26 years later, the 156-player field at the U.S. At just 21, he was the superstar some hoped (and others predicted) would revolutionize the sport by attracting more Black people to the golf course and inspiring the development of top Black pros. In 1997, Woods stoked imaginations when he became the first Black player to win the Masters. Neither will the impact on golf many thought he’d have. LOS ANGELES − Tiger Woods, recovering from ankle surgery, won't be at the U.S.
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