I had a phenomenal junior golf career in San Diego. But during the seventies, it was very rare that I saw other Black people on the course. I was the only Black girl playing in San Diego Junior Golf Events and Junior PGA Golf Events. There were certain golf courses we couldn’t go to or even go into the pro shops. As a little girl, I didn’t really understand racism. It was there but I focused on playing golf.
I started playing golf at age 7 and won my first tournament at age 8. I won the 1974 Junior World Championship when I was ten years old and I am the only African American female to hold four Junior World trophies. I am proud to say that my photo is in the golf shop at the world-renowned Torrey Pines golf shop next to that of Tiger Woods. I am also the only African American female to win the San Diego Women's City Amateur Championship.
I earned a full collegiate golf scholarship at the United States International University. During my collegiate golf career, I won the first inaugural National Minority Collegiate Golf tournament and was ranked no. 25 out of 820 women collegiate golfers in the nation. I graduated with a degree in communications and competed on what is now known as the Epson Tour, winning several events and shooting the women’s course records at Canyon Crest Country Course during the Michelob Golf Classic. I am one of five African Americans to play in the U.S. Women’s Open.
It was a struggle being the only Black woman playing out there at that time, and I can relate to the adversity that other African Americans like Jackie Robinson went through. After 25 years of playing competitive golf, I reinvented myself and joined FedEx, where I served as a Customer Service Agent, Senior Human Resources Coordinator and one of three African American female Operations Manager in the San Diego District. Breaking the glass ceiling had its challenges, but it has been extremely rewarding.
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