Tiger Woods will not be attending the U.S. Open, which begins on Thursday. He is recovering from an ankle surgery. The impact he was expected to have on golf will not be as great as many had hoped.
Woods captured the imagination of many when he won the Masters in 1997. Woods, who was only 21 years old at the time, was considered the future of golf. He would attract more Black people onto the course and inspire the development top Black professionals.
Look at this!
The 156 players in the U.S. Open field, to be held at The Los Angeles Country Club on July 26, have a clear void. There are no Black players.
There is a caveat. The United States Golf Association, which organizes the U.S. Open says that it doesn't ask players their race or ethnicity. Therefore, it's not possible to confirm that there aren't any Black players.
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Mike Whan is the CEO of the USGA and he admits that the USGA missed a great opportunity when Woods became the leading golfer in the United States.
Whan said, "It's like we watched the Tiger Woods Parade and when it left, the parade actually left." "Like it's been a fantastic five years."
Fred Perpall said that what happened in elite golf was a reflection of our past choices.
How did golf falter after the rise of Tiger Woods
Kenneth Bentley served as a board member of Tiger Woods Foundation for the last decade. He was acutely aware of what Woods' arrival on the professional scene meant for golf.
Bentley, a Black member of the Farmers Insurance Exchange Board of Governors, said that when Tiger won the Masters back in 1997, there wasn't any infrastructure to say "OK, we'd like to integrate golf." "And I don't know if in '97 the people who ran golf were ready for an influx of African American players."
Bentley created an infrastructure in 2010 when he established the Advocates Professional Golf Association to develop professional golfers of color.
This involves doing something that the golfing world has failed to do consistently and meaningfully. It is about providing access to the best equipment, instruction and opportunity.
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The APGA, for instance, will host 18 tournaments this year with a prize pool of $1 million.
He said, "I have been doing this for a long time and I get frustrated." "I'm frustrated because I want to see the programs move faster, but I am energized by how optimistic players are. ...
There are certainly people trying to change golf's dynamics. "I think that it is just moving slower than we felt."
How to accelerate the development of minorities golfers
Whan stated that the USGA had launched a national program in February. He is aiming to grant "around" $40 million.
Bentley asked how much money would be spent on developing minority golfers.
Whan stated, "I have said this for many years. Now I am in a position where we can actually do something." We are all in for the U.S. National Development Team and will make sure talented kids have the chance to go, regardless of their looks, where they are from, or how rich their parents are. Every other country has a program to nurture and grow its youth pipeline.
Bentley is still wondering and has provided some maths that could be useful to the USGA. He told me he spends around $30,000 per year on each player in his development program.
He said that to make a real difference, it would take two or three more times as much.
What comes next?
It is not enough to elect a Black USGA President. You still have to wonder if you can find any Black golfers at the U.S. Open.
Perpall shared his thoughts about the issue.
He said: "I'd love it if this was like a shortcut. We could simply press the magic wand." "I believe what we are doing with Team USA, through the development program and investing in greater inclusion, more opportunities and accessibility will hopefully change this trajectory."
Marcus Byrd, winner of the APGA Tour Farmers Insurance Invitational on January 29, 2023 at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla (California), celebrates. Bentley says it's possible, pointing to Marcus Byrd who, this year, played in three PGA Tour tournaments and has won the APGA Tour Farmers Insurance Invitational five times.
Bentley said, "Here is a guy who had no money." "Grew-up in the worst part of Washington D.C., and now he has sponsors, he has an opportunity. That's what the APGA about."
Could this be the USGA?
Byrd added that he has started to find the right people around him, and the right people with whom to speak. He said of his dream to play on the PGA Tour: "It is not a question of if but when."
By: Josh Peter
Title: No Black players? U.S. Open field reflects golf's missed opportunity with Tiger Woods
Sourced From: golfweek.usatoday.com/2023/06/15/no-black-players-u-s-open-tiger-woods/
Published Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2023 13:17:28 +0000
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