Ten students from participating schools in the 23rd PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship have been named recipients of $1,000 scholarship awards from State Farm Insurance for their academic excellence at their respective institutions.
This year, students again submitted a questionnaire in application for the State Farm/PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Scholarship Program. The committee considered the student's GPA and awarded the scholarships based on one per school represented in the group of applications submitted. A minimum GPA of 2.5 was required.
The 23rd PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship was contested May 8-10, at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
The following students have received a $1,000 State Farm/PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Scholarship:
Sarita Sharp (Freshman) - Benedict College
Hector Arroyave (Junior) - South Carolina State University
Mackenzie Mack (Junior) - Indiana State University
Sydnee Mack (Freshman) - Hampton University
Hannah Bews (Junior) - Bethune-Cookman University
Brendan Prouse (Junior) - Alabama State University
Jeremy Williams (Senior) - Prairie View A&M
Thaddaeus Hill (Sophomore) - Morehouse College
Virginia Gonzalez (Senior) - Ohio Valley
Alejandro Bernardini (Freshman) - South Carolina State University
About the PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship
The PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship originated from a meeting in November 1986 following the Jackson State University Golf Tournament. The late Dr. Herschel Cochrane, Dr. Joe D. Saunders of the National Negro Golf Association, Jackson State University Golf Coach Eddie Payton, Rose Harper-Elder of the Sports Management Institute and William (Bill) Dickey founder of the Bill Dickey Scholarship Association and the 1999 PGA Distinguished Service Award winner, are credited as the founders of this Championship.
The goal was to elevate the game of golf in minority colleges and universities by giving them a chance to compete in a championship because of being denied opportunities to compete in NCAA Collegiate Golf events. The first Championship was conducted in the spring of 1987 at Highland Park Golf Course in Cleveland, Ohio. Since 1998, The PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., has been host to the Championship.
In 2006, The PGA of America was granted complete ownership and management of the championship by the National Minority Collegiate Golf Scholarship Fund.
In 1990, a Career Fair was conducted for the first time in conjunction with the Championship to provide corporate sponsors the opportunity to interview and recruit outstanding college students for future employment. As a result, the Career Fair has developed into an invaluable resource to assist students in gaining internships and full-time positions within the golf industry.
Also, State Farm Insurance extended its sponsorship to support the PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship through 2010. The State Farm sponsorship provides funding of a one-hour Championship highlight program on Golf Channel. Students from participating schools in the 2009 Championship can apply to receive scholarship awards from State Farm Insurance for their academic excellence at their respective institutions.
