EVENTS
PGA Member Scooter Clark named Manager for PGA Minority Collegiate Championship
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (April 11, 2018) – The PGA of America has named Loritz “Scooter” Clark as Manager of the PGA Minority Collegiate Championship, which will be held at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, May 10-13, 2018.
In his new position, Clark will work closely with Strategic Advisory and Coaches Advisory groups to assure that the Championship delivers on the long-term goals and objectives for all stakeholders, including the student-athletes, coaches, partners and golf industry employers.
Clark’s involvement with the PGA Minority Collegiate Championship dates to his playing days – he participated in the inaugural Championship in 1987 for Southern University, and three more after transferring to the University of Maryland – and includes an eight-year stint as Director of Intercollegiate Golf at Bethune-Cookman University. His men’s and women’s teams combined to win 10 PGA Minority Collegiate Championship Division I titles, the most in the 31-year history of the Championship.
A PGA Professional since 2009, Clark partnered with the PGA Minority Collegiate Championship while working for Titleist and FootJoy, and is an ardent supporter of the event’s Business of Golf Career Expo, which educates participating student-athletes on the employment opportunities available in the global golf business and provides a forum to personally connect with key industry employers.
"To be able to work with nearly 29,000 PGA Professionals and this group of student-athletes is humbling,” said Clark, who most recently served as the Executive Director for The First Tee of Greater Baltimore. “I’m ready to start building, collaborating and sharing ideas that will elevate the PGA Minority Collegiate Championship, its corresponding Career Expo, and ultimately the game of golf.”
The PGA Minority Collegiate Championship is a 54-hole, stroke-play Championship contested in four-team divisions: NCAA Men’s Division I, Men’s Division II, Men’s NAIA and an overall Women’s Division. In addition, there is an Individual Division for minority men and women who are listed on the roster of their college team or are part of the PGA of America’s PGA Golf Management University programs.
"We aspire to continue to elevate the PGA Minority Collegiate Championship and secure its standing as the preeminent golf event and golf career expo for student-athletes from Historically Black Colleges and Universities and minority-serving institutions,” said Sandy Cross, the PGA of America’s Senior Director of Diversity & Inclusion. "To this end, there is no one more familiar with, and passionate about, the Championship, its history and shaping the direction of its programming than Scooter Clark. After many years as participant and coach, we’re thrilled to welcome Scooter to our team, as he’s uniquely qualified to leverage the Championship and to expose its diverse and talented field to opportunities golf affords."
Since 1998, PGA Golf Club has hosted the PGA Minority Collegiate Championship. In 2006, the PGA of America was granted complete ownership and management of the Championship by the National Minority College Golf Scholarship Fund.