Johnson C. Smith excited to be host school for ‘best of the best’ HBCU golf event
The Johnson C. Smith University men’s golf team is embracing its part in sports history.
Johnson C. Smith, a historically Black university in Charlotte, will be the host school for the first Charlie Sifford Centennial Cup at Quail Hollow Club. The six-team event on Aug. 29 showcases HBCU men’s golf programs and will take place on media day for the Presidents Cup, which follows from Sept. 20-25 at Quail Hollow Club.
The Charlie Sifford Centennial Cup was created to honor the first Black golfer to earn a PGA Tour card in 1961.
The Johnson C. Smith men’s golf team understands how important this is for the city and its golf community. It’s an opportunity they are looking forward to and don’t take for granted.
“I’ve been thinking this is probably the most prestigious collegiate HBCU event ever,” Johnson C. Smith University men’s golf coach William Watkins told the Charlotte Observer. “I tell my players that they are going to play this course a month before the top 24 players in the world.”
Plans for the event began last fall and were finalized early this year. In total, 24 collegiate players from six schools — four Division I and two Division II teams, including the Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls — will compete in a format nearly identical to the Presidents Cup. Four players and one coach from each school are expected to participate.
Howard, Florida A&M, Alabama State and Texas Southern are the Division I teams to earn berths via Golfstat rankings on May 5. Livingstone College in nearby Salisbury, North Carolina qualified as the top Division II HBCU program. Livingstone won the 2022 CIAA golf title and is one of the Golden Bulls’ oldest rivals.
Sifford, who was born and raised in Charlotte, won his first PGA Tour event in 1967 at what is now known as the Travelers Championship. He became the first African American inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004. He died in 2015 at age 92.
“My father’s vision was that the golf establishment provides equal access to make the game of golf more inclusive to all people,” Sifford’s son Charles Jr. said in a statement issued from Presidents Cup organizers. “The Charlie Sifford Centennial Cup is a great example of the diversity and inclusion that Dr. Charles Luther Sifford exemplified as the first African American member of the PGA Tour. He dreamed of young people playing a championship course with the opportunity to acquire experience and knowledge of what it takes to compete at the highest level.”
Participating teams will spend Aug. 28 at Quail Hollow for a brunch hosted by Sifford Jr. Practice rounds and a welcome reception follow later that evening. The next day, players are split into teams of 12 to compete in four-ball morning matches and singles in the afternoon. The day concludes with the groups joining Presidents Cup captains Davis Love III and Trevor Immelman as they make their picks to round out their respective 12-player teams.
“On behalf of the Presidents Cup and Quail Hollow Club, we are thrilled to welcome these top HBCU players to our community for a first-of-its-kind showcase event and the opportunity to compete on a world-class venue,” 2022 Presidents Cup chair Johno Harris said in a statement, “just weeks before the top U.S. and international players arrive in Charlotte.”
Golden Bulls players are spending their summer preparing for the August event. Watkins said his team is ready to compete against some of the top collegiate golf talents in the nation right in their back yard.
“What makes it prestigious is that there are only six schools,” Watkins said. “It’s arguably the best of the best. I try to make sure my kids understand the gravity of the situation, and also the historical implications of (the Cup) being named for Charlie Sifford.”
This story was originally published June 3, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
