PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Garrett Price’s vision for the PGA Works Collegiate Championship has become a reality.
At the 2020 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park, Price, a software engineer from the Bay Area, pitched his vision for the event formerly known as the National Minority College Championship and founded in 1986 to showcase competitive golf programs the most disadvantaged and underrepresented minority groups. -providing services to institutions across the country to Seth Waugh, CEO of PGA. The vision? Treat the PGA Works like it’s college golf’s version of the US Amateur and bring it to world-class golf courses.
This week, TPC Sawgrass hosted the 37e edition of the event for the second time in the past four years, also involving Shoal Creek in Alabama, where Price is a national member, and heading to Whistling Straits next year. Not to take anything away from the tournament’s former host – PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie – but this is a significant upgrade.
“These girls see this golf course on TV and it’s so iconic,” said Texas A&M – Corpus Christi Head Coach Pat Stephens. “To be able to play it in a tournament situation, they are making memories that they will talk about with their grandchildren.”
As University of British Columbia junior Una Chou put it, “It was surreal to be able to play at a PGA Tour golf facility. I can’t believe we get to play here and I just enjoyed the atmosphere.”
It was a thrill for Florida A&M men’s coach Mike Rice, who was on the team the last time the Rattlers won the title in 2000.
“It’s going to be a long time,” said Rice, who has coached the team for 13 years, the last six as head coach. “This is the closest team we’ve had in a long time and I really think that was the difference. They played for each other.”
On a warm, windy day, the Rattlers combined to shoot a 13-over par 301 on the TPC Sawgrass Stadium course Wednesday, winning by 29 points and posting a wire-to-wire victory as Division I Men’s champions. Alabama State University (56-over) finished second and North Carolina A&T State University (74-over) took third place.
FAMU senior Marcus Taylor of South Africa earned the medalist title in the Men’s Division I with a three-day score of 2 over par 218. He shot a 1 under par 71 in the final round for a five-stroke victory. Rice remembered seeing Taylor’s swing on a recruiting website and eventually offered him and his brother, Miles, scholarships.
“I am very happy with the victory, as an individual and as a team,” said Marcus. “I didn’t have much preparation for this, I was chock full of academics and completed 19 credits this semester. Graduation was my main focus, so I had no expectations going into this event.”
With four birdies in his final round, the way he finished on the famous 17th and 18th holes on the Stadium course made the difference for Taylor.
“My birdie on 17, I was standing over the ball on the tee and wasn’t nervous to be honest,” he said. “I felt like it was another wedge shot and I just stood there and did what I had to do.”
He taped it at 8 feet. As for the birdie putt? “I thought, ‘Send me in the right direction and make this putt.’ I was really excited about that. At 18 the driver is the best club in my bag and I definitely strung it about 300 yards. I had 55 meters in.”
Taylor had not played 18 holes in three weeks this semester due to his heavy course load, but his game showed little rust. “I went out and made it freestyle,” he said. “I am happy with the result.”
Chaminade University of Honolulu (67-plus), which traveled the farthest to compete in the PWCC, also came from behind to win the Men’s Division II Championship by one stroke.
“It’s like a dream,” said Chaminade Head Coach Renee Yuen. “First of all, when I came to this tournament, this venue was something that, when I heard about it, I said I wanted to bring the team. To come here, to play, to battle through it and then win by one stroke, I’m so happy and proud of the boys.”
With a team score in the final round of 25 over 313, Lincoln University of Missouri came second with 68 over 932. Bluefield State University (70 over) came third after a 25 over 313.
Lincoln University of Missouri’s Austin Shoemaker (4-over) went wire-to-wire to win the Men’s Division II medalist title.
University of Michigan junior Yuqi Liu (3 under) claimed the men’s individual championship title with a final round 2-under par 70.
“It wasn’t easy, but I always believe in myself,” Liu said. “I knew I could make it and I did.”
University of North Alabama sophomore Eric Luo (2-under) shot a bogey-free 3-under-par 69 for his low round of the championship to finish second. Sophomore Kentaro Nanayama (1-under) of Purdue University finished third.
On the women’s side, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi posted a team score of 11 over par 299 in Wednesday’s final round to end the week at 56 over and win by five shots. Three years after their first PGA Works Collegiate victory here, the Islanders claimed their fourth consecutive Women’s Team Division title today at Sawgrass’ Dye’s Valley course. The Islanders became the second women’s team to win at least four consecutive PWCC titles (Bethune-Cookman 2012-19).
“It feels great,” said senior Lucie Charbonnier. “I’ve won it every year I’ve played. It’s like the perfect dream. I have four rings, what more can I have?”
Charbonnier, the 2022 and 2023 women’s team medalist, ended her collegiate career with another memorable PWCC performance. She recorded five birdies, including three on the front nine en route to a 3-under-par 69. France’s Peron finished second in the Women’s Team Medalist race at 5-over-par 221.
Howard University (61-over) was second after a final round of 9-over-par 297. Delaware State University (92-over) was third with a 15-over-par 303.
Kendall Jackson (4-over) of Howard University claimed the Women’s Team Division medalist title. The junior from Pearland, Texas posted a 1-over-par 73 at Dye’s Valley, highlighted by a clutch birdie on the par-5 17th hole, to win by one.
Una Chao of the University of British Columbia holds the trophy for winning the women’s individual DI title at the PGA Works Collegiate Championship. (Adam Schupak/Golfweek)
The women’s individual division was a hard-fought battle that came down to the final putt on the stadium’s par-4 18th hole. Chou and junior Dili Sitanonth of Eastern Kentucky University started the final hole with the score tied at 6 over.
Chou “zoned everything out” and drilled a four-foot left-to-right sliding putt for par to shoot 5-over-par 77 and earn the win at 6-over-par 222. Sitanonth made a bogey and finished second at 7-over-par 223 after also shooting 5-over-par 77.
“This feels like my first major,” Chou said.
The story originally appeared on GolfWeek