The PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship (formerly known as the National Minority College Championship) is unquestionably the most culturally significant tournament in collegiate golf. The Championship annually hosts student-athletes enrolled in Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and other Minority-Serving Educational Institutions.
The 2021 PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship announced two marquee exemptions ー one for the Symetra and Korn Ferry Tours ー will be made available to qualified participants. The 2021 PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship will be played May 3-5 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, home of The Players Championship.
Credit: PGA Works
Featuring a stroke play and match play format, The PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship is contested across five divisions: NCAA Men’s Division I, Men’s Division II, and overall Women’s Team Division, Men’s Individual, and Women’s Individual. The Championship consists of 54 holes of stroke play. The individual competition is open to all minority men and women student-athletes playing collegiate golf at the Division I or Division II level or enrolled in one of the PGA of America’s PGA Golf Management University Programs.
“We are grateful to friends at the PGA TOUR/Korn Ferry Tour and LPGA/Symetra Tour not only for their continued generosity, but for their support of the ideals associated with the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship,” said Scooter Clark, Director of the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship. “I would also like to acknowledge and thank tournament officials at both the Price Cutter Charity Championship and the Guardian Championship for their interest and investment to impact of our Championship. These exemptions provide an incredible opportunity for these student-athletes to enhance their lifelong journey in golf.”
Who Can Apply For This Exemption?
The top five finishers and ties in the Women’s Team or Individual Divisions at the 2021 PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship will be eligible to apply for an “MVP Invite” exemption into the Symetra Tour’s Guardian Championship – which will take place Sept. 17-19 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail’s Capitol Hill – Senator Course in Prattville, Alabama. The Guardians Championship Tournament Committee will review all applications and award the exemption.
Credit: PGA Works
“We are proud to partner with PGA REACH in our shared goal of changing the face of golf. By awarding a Symetra Tour MVP Invite to a top finisher from the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship, we will provide a deserving player the opportunity to experience what it feels like to compete against the next generation of LPGA Tour stars,” said Mike Nichols, Chief Business Officer of LPGA Qualifying Tours. “Having the MVP Invite awarded outside Montgomery, Ala., which was central to the civil rights movement, provides added significance to the opportunity and what it represents.”
What About the Korn Ferry Tour?
Likewise, the Korn Ferry Tour agreed to extend its sponsor exemption to the top three finishers in the Men’s Division I, Men’s Division II and Men’s Individual Divisions of the 2021 PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship, who will then have the opportunity to apply for a Korn Ferry exemption into the 2021 Price Cutter Charity Championship, July 22-25, at Highland Springs Country Club in Springfield, Missouri. The final selection of the invite recipient will be determined by Korn Ferry.
