HBCU Golfers Meet Rory McEIlroy, Participate in Wells Fargo Championship Pro-Am

HBCU golfers will participate in the Wells Fargo Championship Pro-Am at Quail Hollow Club for the second year.

HBCU golfers are participating in the Wells Fargo Championship Pro-Am at Quail Hollow Club for the second year from May 3-7.  This year’s Wells Fargo Championship will support HBCUs, part of a broader effort to expand financial health, including investing $107 million in scholarships and programming for diverse communities as the Bank of Doing.

The popularity of golf is increasing quickly among the HBCU community. As a result, HBCU golfers were given a unique opportunity to participate in the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship Pro-Am held at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, NC, from May 3-7. The financial institution is proud of its dedication to supporting historically black colleges through partnerships with professionals like the PGA. This commitment has led to the creation of exceptional opportunities for young and diverse golfers and individuals.

“It was really cool, what the First Tee does with PGA TOUR and the Wells Fargo Championship, giving these kids a great introduction to the game of golf who wouldn’t necessarily be otherwise introduced to the game of golf is great," Rory McIlroy.  "To play with these players today and hear their stories and backgrounds is really cool and I wish them the best in their futures.”

Rory McIlroy with First Tee graduates and Wells Fargo Future Entrepreneur Program participants – Kai Dawson of North Carolina A&T, Ahmad Raoul of Winston-Salem State University and Nyla Sims of University of Maryland Eastern Shore – during the Wells Fargo Championship Pro-Am on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 in Charlotte, N.C. (Nell Redmond/AP Images for Wells Fargo)

At this year's event, three winners of an essay contest for students from historically black colleges and universities had the opportunity to play in the Pro-Am alongside a PGA player of their choosing. The essay prompt asked each player to write about their future goals, interest in entrepreneurship, and aspirations in golf and life. The 2023 contest winners were Kai Dawson, North Carolina A&T State University (Class of 2021), Nyla Sims, University of Maryland Eastern Shore (Class of 2023), and Ahmad Raoul, Winston-Salem State University (Class of 2026).

“Wells Fargo is committed to advancing opportunities for diverse communities inside and outside of the financial industry year-round," Kristy Fercho, Head of Diverse Segments, Representation and Inclusion at Wells Fargo said.  "Here at the Wells Fargo Championship, that’s on display through the tournament exemptions we offered to Marcus Byrd and Quinn Riley, and through our partnership with First Tee. In addition to hosting a clinic for the local chapter, we are proud to have three First Tee graduates – who are current HBCU students – playing in Wednesday’s Pro-Am.”  

An Unreal Experience

For the second year in a row, participating HBCU golfers opted to play alongside former world number one and four-time major champion Rory Mcllroy. Nyla Sims described the experience as "unreal" and "a dream come true" to share the golf course with a player of this caliber. Ahmad Raoul expressed how this opportunity provided a significant boost to his confidence.

"Coming off the front nine after we finished the round with Rory, we took a picture. I told him I would see him someday out here, and he said I hope so too. That hit hard because there was a time last year where I was contemplating not playing golf competitively. I got that drive back this year, and then there was that seal to go get it," Raoul stated.

In addition to learning the game of golf from one of the PGA tour's top golfers, the student-athletes received mentoring on life away from the golf course. Gaining insight on balancing mental health and career and the importance of networking were all important takeaways for HBCU golfers that aspire to impact future generations looking to follow a similar path.

Laying the Foundation

"This is full of life lessons," exclaimed Kai Dawson, who is currently in graduate school and has had one of the most unique and inspirational journeys to get to this position. Diagnosed with autism, Kai has openly discussed various obstacles encountered throughout his academic journey, and his message to future HBCU golfers was simple but powerful, "take your time." Each golfer echoed this sentiment while offering strong advice and other words of encouragement.

"Stick with the game because the game has so many opportunities," said Nyla Smith, who emphasized maximizing all available resources.

One vital resource is the First Tee organization, whose partnership with Wells Fargo helped make this event and opportunity for HBCU golfers possible. First Tee is a youth development organization that empowers kids and teens through the sport of golf. On Wednesday, May 3rd, First Tee held a clinic for nearly 200 Charlotte area youth at Quail Hollow Club, where they received first-hand lessons from a PGA tour pro to help improve their skills.

Through the efforts and steady commitment of Wells Fargo and First Tee, possibilities will remain available for aspiring golfers in the HBCU community and beyond. Wells Fargo highlighted that this event "is part of a broader effort to expand access to financial health, including investing $107 million in scholarships and programming for diverse communities as the Bank of Doing."

These actions are incredibly beneficial and appreciated by golfers like Nyla Sims, who exclaimed, "I just really want to thank the First Tee, the PGA tour, and Wells Fargo for supporting HBCUs because it takes a lot to highlight us, and I'm just grateful that they were able to do that by inviting us here and having us apply to this program and just creating this program in general."

Agreed, the future of HBCU golf is indeed bright.