Florida A&M’s golfer shares the impact of Bridgestone HBCU on his career
The Bridgestone HBCU Invitational field was revealed on Monday. It represents the PGA Tour’s attempts to make golf more accessible to populations that have traditionally been underrepresented in the sport.
The Bridgestone HBCU Invitational (HBCU stands for Historically Black College and Universities) will be held November 1st and 2nd at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Georgia. It will include teams from nine different universities, will be 54 holes long, and will be contested in both individual and group formats.
Alabama State, the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, Chicago State, North Carolina Central, Tennessee State, Florida A&M, Florida A&M, Morehouse College, Miles College, Southern University, and Prairie View A&M will all send teams.
"I have Tiger Woods's ball sponsor."
— SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio (@SiriusXMPGATOUR) October 30, 2023
Troy Stribling joined Michael Collins and Jason Sobel from the Bridgestone HBCU Invitational and shared the impact the company has had on his career.@strib11 | @ESPNCaddie | @JasonSobelTAN | @bridgestonegolf | @TigerWoods
?: @FAMU_Golf pic.twitter.com/7CjOSzRuph
Troy Stribling of Florida A&M University (FAMU) was one of the players called up. After realizing that he would be participating in this major occasion, Stribling expressed his sentiments to SiriusXM:
“They blessed me, like… these are dreams I’ve thought about. I have Tiger Woods’ balls sponsor (laughs), somebody I played on video games when I was 12 years old. My dad said: ‘You don’t need that soft balls’, and I said: ‘Tiger plays it, what are you talking about?’ (more laughs).”
He went on to say:
“I never imagined this would happen. They have my luggage and keep handing me balls, gloves, shorts… I have the impression that I am on tour. And they’re still going; they’re trying to do more for HBCUs, which is fantastic… it’s really a godsend.”
Stribling is in his final year at FAMU. In two seasons of collegiate golf, he has recorded great results and received various awards, including the SWAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
Getting the Facts on the Bridgestone HBCU Invitational
The PGA Tour introduced the Pathway to Progression, a roadmap that incorporates the Collegiate Development Program, as part of its commitment to develop and make the game of golf more accessible. Bridgestone, the world’s largest tire company, is the program’s sponsor.
Bridgestone Collegiate Development Program includes the Bridgestone HBCU Invitational. It is a competition that not only allows athletes who have historically had less opportunities to express themselves, but it also goes much farther.
The Bridgestone HBCU Invitational organizers will supply the players with some of the necessary tools to help them improve their game. Furthermore, the winning teams (men’s and women’s) will be invited to a two-day development camp at TPC Sawgrass, home of The PLAYERS Championship.
Players will undergo career exploration workshops in the days preceding up to the Bridgestone HBCU Invitational. These talks will be delivered by specialists in golf, sports in general, business, sports business, the arts, and so on.
Furthermore, the individual men’s champion will be invited to compete in the Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational in March. The winner of such tournament will subsequently be invited to compete in a Korn Ferry Tour event, 2024.
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