2011 scholarship recipients honored at PMCGC Welcome Dinner

Each year, students from participating schools in the PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship presented by Brown Capital Management can apply to receive scholarship awards from State Farm Insurance for their academic excellence at their respective institutions.

The committee considered the student's GPA and also awarded based on community service and their passion for the game of golf. The scholarship recipients’ GPA average was an impressive 3.67.

The announcement was made at the State Farm Insurance-sponsored Welcome Dinner on May 5.

"We are proud to present these students with a scholarship for their academic excellence and participation in this great Championship," said State Farm's Michael Matlock. "We congratulate each of these student-athletes for their effort both on the golf course and in the classroom."

The following students were selected to receive a $1,000 State Farm Scholarship:

--Ronnie Fultz III, senior, Hampden-Sydney College
--Julio Andres Gonzales Galvan, freshman, Louisburg College
--Joseph Killebrew, sophomore, Alabama State University
--Ariel McNair, sophomore, Xavier University
--Jerrell M. Parrish, sophomore, Bethune-Cookman University
--Malcolm Parrish, sophomore, Morehouse College
--Kaitlyn Schwartze, sophomore, Lincoln University
--Hannah Sprague, junior, Lincoln University
--Marina Terry, junior, South Carolina State University
--Shanequa Valetine, junior, Prairie View A&M

The PGA of America also announced additional scholarship winners for the John Cash/Cliff Wallace Scholarship and Ellison/Stewart Scholarships for 2011.

John Cash/Cliff Wallace Scholarship ($1,000)
--Sydnee Ryan Mack, senior, Hampton University

Ellison/Stewart Scholarships ($1,000)
--Annamae Adderley, sophomore, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore
--Eugenie Adderley, sophomore, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore

The PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship

Celebrating its 25th year, the PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship presented by Brown Capital Management originated in November 1986 following the Jackson State University Golf Tournament and has elevated golf in minority colleges and universities by providing opportunities to more players to compete in a national championship.

The 1986 organizational meeting brought together a significant group of founders: the late Dr. Herschel Cochrane, Dr. Joe D. Saunders of the National Negro Golf Association; Jackson State University Golf Coach Eddie Payton; Rose Harper-Elder of the Sports Management Institute; and William (Bill) Dickey, founder of the Bill Dickey Scholarship Association and recipient of the 1999 PGA Distinguished Service Award. The founders' goal was to provide a national stage for players from minority colleges and universities after being denied opportunities to compete in NCAA Collegiate golf events.

The inaugural Championship was conducted in the spring of 1987 at Highland Park Golf Course in Cleveland, Ohio. Since 1998, PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., has been host to the Championship, and in 2006, The PGA of America was granted complete ownership and management of the Championship by the National Minority College Golf Scholarship Fund.

About The PGA of America
Celebrating its 95th year, The PGA of America has maintained a twofold mission of its founders: to establish and elevate the standards of the profession and to grow interest and participation in the game of golf.

By establishing and elevating the standards of the golf profession through world-class education, career services, marketing and research programs, The PGA enables its professionals to maximize their performance in their respective career paths and showcases them as experts in the game and in a multi-billion dollar golf industry.

By creating and delivering dramatic world-class championships and exciting and enjoyable promotions that are viewed as the best of their class in the golf industry, The PGA of America elevates the public's interest in the game, the desire to play more golf, and ensures accessibility to the game for everyone, everywhere. The PGA of America brand represents the very best in golf.