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    Travel just got easier for more than 50 HBCU college golf programs

    February 10, 2022
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    Golfers at Winston-Salem State hold boarding cards to help celebrate the new travel grant program initiated by the PGA Tour and United Airlines.

    Putting together a challenging tournament schedule is tricky business for any college golf program, but particularly so for schools with tight travel budgets. Coaches often are forced to pick only events within driving distance of campus, limiting the potential competition their players can face.

    Such is often the case at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. However, a new program unveiled this week by the PGA Tour and United Airlines will offer HBCU schools the opportunity to fly to tournaments, giving men’s and women’s teams at these school the chance to compete in higher-profile events.

    More than $500,000 in grants will be awarded to 51 HBCU golf programs in 2022, with each school receiving $10,000 in travel credits. The grant program will reach more than 250 college golfers, collectively, according to the PGA Tour.

    Winston-Salem State University brought back its golf program last fall after a 10-year hiatus, but with a limited schedule. According to head coach Charles Penny II, the grant program will make a significant impact in getting the sport back up and running. “This past fall, we were only able to play one tournament due to limitations in our travel budget,” Penny said. “This fall, we will be able to add close to four.”

    United is the first sponsor to support the PGA Tour’s HBCU Grant Program, which was created in 2021 out of discussions at the tour on how to utilize its partner network to offset financial issues at HBCU golf programs.

    “We have made a pledge to help diversify the landscape of competitive golf,” said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan in a press release, “and this collaboration between United Airlines and these colleges and universities will be a significant step towards leveling the playing field and enhancing the student-athlete experience along the way.”

    Here are the schools that will receive the grants:

    Men’s Golf

    Alabama A&M University

    Alabama State University

    Bishop State Community College

    Bluefield State College

    Chicago State University

    Elizabeth City State University

    Fayetteville State University

    Fisk University

    Florida A&M University

    Howard University

    Jarvis Christian College

    Johnson C. Smith University

    Kentucky State University

    LeMoyne-Owen College

    Lincoln University

    Livingstone College

    Miles College

    Morehouse College

    North Carolina A&T State University

    North Carolina Central University

    Prairie View A&M University

    Saint Augustine's University

    Savannah State University

    Talladega College

    Tennessee State University

    Texas Southern University

    University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff

    University of Maryland Eastern Shore

    Virginia State University

    Virginia Union University

    West Virginia State University

    Wilberforce University

    Winston-Salem State University

    Women’s Golf

    Alabama State University

    Bethune-Cookman University

    Bishop State Community College

    Bluefield State College

    Chicago State University

    Delaware State University

    Fisk University

    Howard University

    Jarvis Christian College

    Lincoln University

    North Carolina A&T State University

    North Carolina Central University

    Prairie View A&M University

    Savannah State University

    Tennessee State University

    Texas Southern University

    University of Maryland Eastern Shore

    Wilberforce University