discriminatory residential mortgage policies<\/a> and lending practices against its Black customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMeanwhile, the PGA Tour has worked diligently to ensure that, after decades of anti-Black behavior, it\u2019s slowly and relatively quietly becoming one of the more inclusive sports in America \u2013 if not globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both entities have forged a working relationship with the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the trade association of America\u2019s 230-plus Black-owned newspapers and media companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Together, both entities are working to change negative optics for which both understand they are responsible for their reputations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the championships outside of Washington, D.C., the game\u2019s inclusivity proved discernable in key places if not yet on the course itself, where Howard University phenom Greg Odom Jr. stood out as the only Black player to participate in a field of 156.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the exclusive \u201cExecutive Club,\u201d where corporate citizens enjoy birds-eye views of the beautiful 16th hole and 17th tee, a fantastic mix of about 525 patrons yukked it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They talked golf, dined on catered meals, swallowed Bud Light, Stella Artois, and Coca-Cola, and enjoyed a full bar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Interestingly, the large and exclusive tent highlighted how the color of golf is changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think the game, or at least the PGA Tour and some of its sponsors, see Black and white anymore,\u201d Daniel, a D.C. lawyer, said as Stewart Cink botched a birdie put on 16 just as another downpour emptied the seating area just off the tent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Daniel didn\u2019t want his last name used because a rival law firm had provided him the expensive tickets to the Executive Club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve loved this game forever but could never understand, even as a wealthy white guy, why there wasn\u2019t this effort or idea that having Black people, all people, included would only make it more attractive,\u201d Daniel remarked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even as Odom \u2013 who had little time to soak in leading Howard University to the PGA Works Collegiate Championships a day earlier \u2013 failed to make the cut, there were many opportunities to realize the newly found inclusivity that golf offers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Near the Wells Fargo Welcoming Center at Avenal Farms, African American bank representatives greeted patrons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They helped the thousands of fans in attendance find their way to and from parking lots, hospitality areas, the course itself, and shuttle buses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ticket takers, traffic enforcers, and executives worked while several took time to talk golf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Montgomery County, Maryland native Denny McCarthy strolled from the driving range, a small group of fans braving the early morning elements yelled encouragement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That small group included Darryl McKinley, an African American who works for a bank not named Wells Fargo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFirst, I\u2019m just glad the championships are here because I live about 30 minutes from here,\u201d McKinley asserted. \u201cBut to see McKinley representing Maryland and Odom repping Howard University and all HBCUs is exciting on different levels.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
McKinley explained that the presence of McCarthy, who is white, and Odom, a Black man, had encouraged many like him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDenny is from here, so it lets you know that this area can produce champions,\u201d McKinley explained further. \u201cThen you have Greg, a Black man, a Howard University dude doing his thing and shining a spotlight on us in this game. What else do you need to see to be convinced that the doors are now wide open for everyone in this game.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though Odom missed the cut, it wasn\u2019t just the amateur who had problems with the weather. Veteran Sergio Garcia fought both the elements and officials after hitting a tee shot that went astray from the rolling terrain at Avenal Farm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Garcia became frustrated with an official after being assessed a penalty for taking too much time while looking for his ball that went into a hazard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Players are allowed three minutes to locate the ball once they arrive in the general area where they hit it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou want me to swim through the river?\u201d Garcia barked at the official. \u201cI wasn\u2019t looking for the ball there. I was looking for the ball once I got onto this side. Does that make sense?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The moment also provided a glimpse of the change in golf for some.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey never used to argue,\u201d Alexis Battersby, attending the event with a group of other women, stated. \u201cBut, this is fun because the game seems more real to us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Battersby, who said she would attend the entire weekend, joined a group of 12 Black women at the championships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, back inside the Executive Club, Daniel, the lawyer, offered a course for Wells Fargo and the PGA Tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When told Wells Fargo provided the Black Press with unlimited access to the event, he shook his head in approval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a start,\u201d he asserted. \u201cThey have to do many things to improve access for their African American customers and engage Black people the right way by doing more with you guys (the Black Press).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said the PGA Tour\u2019s efforts are more pronounced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou got Odom playing here, and I\u2019m certain they would like to see more people of color on the course,\u201d Daniel stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut, I\u2019m also aware that in the corporate offices and other places within the PGA Tour, there are African Americans \u2013 men and women and who knows, LGBTQ individuals, who are working important jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut, if I\u2019m you (the Black Press), I keep pressing. I\u2019m never satisfied, and neither should African Americans until there\u2019s concrete proof that the efforts have been sustained and the word \u2018diversity\u2019 isn\u2019t needed in our vocabulary anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If there were ever a perfect marriage between a corporate sponsor and one of golf\u2019s alphabet soup organizations, the Wells Fargo Championships at TPC Potomac Avenal Farm provided such a bond. Wells Fargo, the namesake for the tournament and one of the world\u2019s most prolific financial institutions, has again become embroiled in controversy over accusations […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1628,1629,1551],"class_list":["post-2590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-pga-tour","tag-tpc-potomac-avenal-farm","tag-wells-fargo","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2590"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2590\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2591,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2590\/revisions\/2591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}