Is there any club more closed to Black women than professional golf? The answer is yes … polo. But, on Monday, Aug. 18, Mariah Stackhouse, the only full-time active Black player on the LPGA Tour was featured at the Morehouse School of Medicine Golf Tournament at the Capital City Club in Brookhaven to bring awareness to opportunities for aspiring minority golfers and raise scholarship funds for deserving MSM students.
A Stanford graduate and KPMG brand ambassador, Stackhouse has attracted scores of other young minority men and women to the sport which was exclusively the domain of the privileged and limited people of color to caddy positions rather than those actually taking a shot on the green. ” You know, if you don’t come from generational wealth or immediate wealth, for young parents, it can be a burden. I know that was for my parents,” said Stackhose who explained that her first set of golf clubs, at the age of two were clubs her father cut down for the toddler to accompany him on the golf course where he and his siblings had worked while growing up in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
The bourgeoning golf protege went on to play in her first tournament at the age of six, and as golf enthusiasts began to take notice they also became were more willing to open their wallets for her to win a purse. “I had proven myself to be dedicated and good at a young age, so my parents were able to find that support. You know, people are willing to help when you’re working hard, and those efforts were showing, so I was very fortunate to be in that position that [funders would invest in me],” Stackhouse shares.
Stackhouse’s father remained her primary coach unti the age of 11, and by the time the junior golfer was becoming a sports celebrity when the family relocated to Atlanta, where she graduated from North Clayton High School in Riverdale, Ga and Stackhouse went on to graduate of Stanford University. “if you’re able to compete, you’re able to win,” declares Stackhouse regarding securing access and her position in the amateur golf world.
“There’s an organization called Golf Foundation that would go out and seek support for me, and that was before the NCAA changed rules, right? So you couldn’t really accept money from people without losing eligibility … so my parents would reach out to people in the golf community that wanted to support me, that wanted to help, and they would be able to give funds to me. We’d run them through the James organization, provide receipts, and that’s how I was able to keep my funding. Stackhouse beams about her parents’ career guidance and dedication to her dream.
In 2011, at the age of 17, Stackhouse became the youngest African American woman to earn a spot in the field at the U.S. Open, and in 2014, she became the first African American woman to make the Curtis Cup team, which the United States won that year.
During her tenure at Stanford, where she was a four-year All-American, Stackhouse helped the Cardinal to an NCAA title in 2015.
But the celebrated athlete, her impact extends beyond tournament results: “I embrace my Blackness in the golf world,” focusing on promoting diversity and inclusion. at the Morehouse Golf tournament, Mariah showed up and showed out. The 41-year-old golf champion was on hand to lead aspiring golfers and share her personal journey to
During the Morehouse School of Medicine Golf Tournament, Stackhouse emphasized the importance of mental strength and the evolving inclusivity in golf, noting the growth of Black female professionals, while also discussing the need for better support and resources for junior golfers and their parents. ” I’m proud to be black, you know, and I know that God made me this way, and I’m happy to be that. So I think that I’ve always had a strong sense of self and a love of self, and that can sometimes power through and see things that people want to do to make you feel.”
Stackhouse concluded the very successful Morehouse School of Medicine with this thought: “Specifically, I think about this. … the Morehouse School of Medicine tournament is one of my favorite parts … I love doing clinics with adult beginners and just talking to them about the game, we can all be winners.”
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