PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. - An opening ceremony will mark the official start to the 19th National Minority College Golf Championship, May 5, at 6 p.m. EDT, at the PGA Historical Center in Port St. Lucie, Fla. The ceremony will feature an outdoor procession of approximately 100 of the top student-athletes and coaches from 21 colleges and universities, representing 11 countries. The PGA of America's Chief Executive Officer Jim Awtrey, and Port St. Lucie Sheriff Ken Mascara will be on-hand to welcome the participants.
The 19th National Minority College Golf Championship will be conducted Friday, May 6 through Sunday, May 8, at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie.
PGA Golf Club is The PGA of America's first owned and operated, state-of-the-art public golf facility. It marks the eighth consecutive year that PGA Golf Club has hosted the national Championship, which is co-sponsored by The PGA of America and the National Minority College Golf Scholarship Fund of Cleveland.
During the opening ceremony, State Farm Insurance Companies' representatives will award National Minority College Golf Scholarship Fund grants totaling $2,500 to four participants whose teams are competing in this year's Championship. The four scholarship recipients are: Brian Demby of Cary, N.C.; Edward Hills III of Aurora, Ohio; Andre Kelly of Washington, D.C.; and Kellen Miller of Mocksville, N.C.
"State Farm Insurance is pleased with its relationship with both The PGA of America and the National Minority College Golf Championship and is proud to be a part of the first class event, as golf teaches several of life's lessons, such as perseverance, integrity and honesty," said John Rosenstock, State Farm's director of community alliances. "The Championship helps student athletes attain a college education, which is very important to State Farm Insurance."
Miller, competing in his third consecutive Championship, is a junior accounting major at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, S.C. He finished in a tie for 24th place in Division I in both 2003 and 2004.
The three remaining scholarship winners are freshmen and are participating in their first Championship. Demby is a criminal justice major at North Carolina Central University in Durham, N.C.; Hills III is a biology major at Morehouse College in Atlanta; and Kelly is an accounting major at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C.
Following the opening ceremony festivities, student-athletes in the Championship will be granted an opportunity to learn more about employment possibilities within the golf industry from some of the finest golf organizations during the 11th annual Career Fair. Employees from The PGA of America, the United States Golf Association, State Farm Insurance, American Junior Golf, National Minority Golf Foundation, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, Golf Digest Companies and Titleist & Foot-Joy will be available to offer guidance and to accept the résumés of those interested in internships and jobs after graduation.
"The Career Fair offers the student-athletes an excellent opportunity to explore the possibilities that are available to them in the golf industry," said Barbara Douglas, Independent Golf Industry Consultant, and coordinator of the Career Fair for the past nine years. "The golf industry is far-reaching, and it is important for the student-athletes to know that the golf industry is looking for qualified candidates of all skills and backgrounds. At the same time, they are encouraged to work in an industry that they love."
State Farm Insurance and The Golf Channel have combined to produce a Championship highlight program, which will air June 9, at 6 p.m. EDT.
The PGA of America, founded in 1916, is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the game of golf while continuing to enhance the standards of the profession. The Association is comprised of more than 28,000 men and women PGA Professionals who are dedicated to growing participation in the game of golf.
