Consider this fact for a moment:
There were more African-American golfers on the PGA Tour before Tiger Woods showed up in 1997 then after his debut.
Stunning.
Woods was supposed to be the inspiration that would bring more golfers of African-American heritage to the predominately white PGA Tour.
A young man named Josh Bramlett got his card at the 2011 PGA Tour Qualifying School. He was biracial and barely stuck around long enough for a couple of cups of coffee.
That’s why is was refreshing, finally to see Harold Varner III getting a lot of television time on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of last week’s Frys.com Open.
He was a media sweetheart, the television guys were all over him. No surprise.
Varner is the first African-American player to earn his card through the Web.com Tour. He finished exactly 25th, last in his class but his tour card is the same one they gave the guy who finished first.
Also consider he’s a product of working-class parents from the small town of Gastonia, west of Charlotte, N.C. He’s one of those kids who grew up at the local muni. “They had a summer pass for $100 and you could play all you want from June 1-September 1,” Varner recalls from his childhood.
It’s also important that he’s a product of the First Tee program, the grass roots golf initiative that operates all over the country. Some of the First Tee kids go on to play high school golf, a very few move on to the college ranks.
Varner went to East Carolina University, a large regional school in North Carolina’s eastern tobacco country. Hardly a golf powerhouse.
He cut his teeth on mini-tours before he got to the Web.com. This is a young man who worked his way up in a manner that is very difficult. The cards are stacked against those who have to travel that road.
Varner knew at an early age that golf was his ticket. “Too small for other sports,” is how he described himself. At age 25, he’s one of the smaller guys on tour. He’s 5-8, 170 but creates a lot of club-head speed.
For the first three days at the Frys.com, he gave a glimpse into his talent. He shot rounds of 66-70-68 and found himself 12-under par going into the final day and in solid contention.
Varner said before the round that win or lose, he would learn something “to help me down the road.”
His final round lesson was painful. A double-bogey at the ninth dropped him to nine-under then four more back-nine bogeys added up to a 79. He finished five-under and collected his first check. It was for $14,914. He will look back and know that if he had just found a way to shoot even par, he would have earned more than $194,000. Painful. Very painful for rookies who need every nickel they can scrape up to retain their playing cards for the 2016-17 season.
No doubt Varner will bounce back. He’s that kinda guy. He wants to do things the right way with his life and career. “Doing things the right way is important,” he said recently. He also isn’t making a big deal about his color. “I don’t want to be a black golfer,” he declared. “I want to be a great golfer who happens to be black.”
He has a lot of fans pulling for him. He’s personable and smiles easily. He appreciates the sacrifices his parents made to get him to where he is today.
So keep an eye on this young man. “Yes, I want to be accountable. If I’m not doing the right thing, someone should tell me,” he said.
“I want people to look at me and want their kid to be like me.”
8 Comments
Mike S.
Excellent story for a young man with solid values. Kudos to his parents and their guidance, but especially to him !!
Javid Parker
This article is a racist piece. Athletes, coaches, or fans should not be singled out because of race. They should be singled out because of their abilities. If Blacks, Asians, or for that matter people from Mars are exceptional they will find a place on a professional team or a golf course,
Let’s start talking about ability and not race.
stacy jones
The ONLY thing the PGA tour needs is quality golfers to entertain the fans. Maybe Harold will be that person. At the very least, I’m sure he wont be a foul-mouthed, petulant. adulterous, attention-grabbing, classless individual like Tiger Woods.
Rick W
Varner played good enough to earn a tour card. That’s nice but he needs to quit spitting while he’s playing. Especially on the tees and greens. How would he like to get someone else’s saliva on his hand teeing up a ball or marking.his ball on the green.
Bill
He should be told not to spit on the greens just the same as other golfers are told no exceptions. Just ask Bradley who had the same disgusting habit till he was told that is a no no.
John Melnick
The fact that you are even speaking about race regarding a good golfer shows where the mentality lies. Far behind the times……….
Marilyn
Why is it necessary to highlight a new tour player simply because he is black?
Leave him alone. He is not some rare insect under a glass jar to be stared at, as if he is some anomaly. Newsflash: Black people play golf!
Paul
We don’t need this Guy if He’s a Poster Child for First-Tee, Black Matters or any other PUT BLACKS FIRST PROGRAM !!!
If it’s because it’s the story of a Man who is striving to better himself by the way of the PGA, I’m all for him !!!
I’m sick and tired of pushing anybody over one-another !!! This is AMERICA and not some KIND of SOFT-SOCIALISM SOCIETY. This is not England, Canada, Russia or China ???
LEAVE THE PGA ALONE !!!