Howard University Standout Gregory Odom Jr. Makes PGA Tour Debut At Wells Fargo Championship
Possibility knocks for Gregory Odom Jr., a mounting senior on Howard University’s golf workforce. The finance major helps make his debut PGA Tour commence at this week’s Wells Fargo Championship at TPC Potomoc at Avenel Farm on a sponsor’s exemption.
“I am really grateful to Wells Fargo for offering me the possibility to know something that I have been working incredibly difficult for and which is building my goals appear genuine on the PGA Tour,” Odom Jr., who led the Bison to victory at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Meeting Golf Championship, suggests.
“I know there are a good deal of matters done guiding the scenes for me and for other folks and anything at all is attainable now in the world and I just want to embrace this option to the fullest,” Odom Jr. provides.
A demonstration of their dedication to variety, equity and inclusion, around the previous ten years Wells Fargo has contributed in excess of $30 million in monetary assistance to HBCUs through the United Negro College or university Fund, the Thurgood Marshall Higher education Fund as properly as immediate commitments to particular person academic and athletic systems. For this year’s event, the San Francisco-dependent lender gave 4 HBCU pupils and alums from Hampton University, Morehouse College and Fisk University the prospect to participate in in the tournament’s Pro Am with the golfer of their alternative.
“We have a lengthy history of supporting HBCUs, and this yr we are working with the Wells Fargo Championship to create as soon as-in-a-life time encounters for younger, diverse golfers. With our sponsor exemption, we’re very pleased to enable Howard College student Gregory Odom, Jr., make his PGA TOUR debut” Pam Batalis, Wells Fargo’s senior vice president of sponsorships and manufacturer engagement, claims.
Ahead of the Mexico Open up previous 7 days, environment No. 2 Jon Rahm made available this assistance to PGA Tour newcomers: “You have to go out there and test to acquire. Never occur hoping to make the slice. If you are actively playing, participate in to get. If not, do not play” and the words correct to Odom Jr. who took that maxim to coronary heart as he was coming up in the golfing scene as an amateur to observe in Memphis.
“That’s what my dad utilised to say all time when I was actively playing a golf tournament. ‘If you are not there to win, then why clearly show up. So that’s all I can do and I also have pleasurable at the identical time,” Odom Jr. suggests.
In 2019 Steph Curry manufactured a described 7-figure six calendar year motivation to fund Howard’s golf software and if the a few-time NBA Champion hadn’t created the investment, Odom Jr. would in all probability even now be participating in his college golfing for the University of Memphis where he expended his freshman and sophomore seasons.
“As a senior in high faculty I swept the HBCU golf groups less than the rug for the reason that of a deficiency of methods and the lack of coaching staff. Stephen Curry put the assets into location and we have an remarkable mentor in Sam Puryear with an extraordinary track record as an assistant mentor at Stanford and the head coach at Michigan Point out and also possessing the aid from Callaway is really handy for us to contend at the top amount,” Odom Jr. states.
Curry carries on to aid initiatives to make golfing much more available and not long ago spearheaded the creation of the Underrated Golfing Tour, an American Junior Golf Affiliation accredited summer time tour aimed at underrepresented youth. The all-expenditures paid golfing tour with gamers journey, lodging and foods comped, tees off in June at Cog Hill Golf Club in Chicago and culminates in the Curry Cup at TPC Harding Park, just 11 miles from the Warriors’ arena, at the stop of August.
“I consider that is the best factor that can come about suitable now. There has often been a mission connected to how to get a lot more individuals involved in the activity of golf and a non-skilled golfer has arrive up with a way. I consider that is genuinely astounding.” Odom Jr. claims.
As much as his personal future, Odom Jr. hopes to switch pro following he graduates up coming 12 months, with the best objective of just one day earning a PGA Tour card.