Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 1-28-22

Feature
Black Women Pro Golfers Host Event At Rogers Park
BY MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
On Monday, January 24, 2022, Rogers Park hosted the “Monday Be- fore the Show” golfing event.
The event occurs yearly on the Monday before the International PGA show in Orlando. This is the fourth year for the occasion.
The “Monday Before the Show” oc- casion takes advantage of the fact that African American female golfers from around the world will be in Florida at the same time.
The original organizer is Ashaunta Epps, a LPGA profes- sional and management consultant.
“The opportunity is great for us to fellowship and network,” states Epps. “We may know each other ca- sually, but it’s hard to plan for the fu- ture and develop plans when we are in different places. This outing brings us together.”
Epps says that there are only 15 African American women that are Class A (full-fledged golf profession- als) in the LPGA in the world. Nine of them were in Tampa to partici- pate this Monday.
The public was invited as well. The tournament is a Pro-Am event where amateur players are teamed with professionals. Golf pros were available to the amateurs for tips, advice, and guidance. The tourna- ment is a fun activity, but the fellow- ship of Black women is at the center.
ASHAUNTA EPPS
... Organizer of Monday Before the Show
and LPGA Southeast Section President Epps stresses that there are mul-
tiple avenues to Black golfers, de- pending on their interest.
Epps is the founder and owner of A Perfect Swing. After a debilitat- ing injury, she had to retire from playing basketball.
“When I started my corporate career, a lot of decisions were made on the golf course. I needed to join them, so I started playing golf and loved it. I started A Perfect Swing, Inc. so I could put a golf club in every child’s hands. I want to them to get a chance to play. Because of the early success, the company eventually split into A Perfect Swing Youth
MACKENZIE MACK
... LPGA Western Section President and Executive at Calloway Golf
Foundation and A Perfect Swing Golf Association.”
Epps is the LPGA Professionals Southeast Section President. She is also a senior Management Consult- ant at Microsoft. She holds a BS in computer science and a MS degree in Management Information Serv- ices.
Mackenzie Mack is another player that participated in the event and is an advocate for African Amer- ican participation in golf.
A native of Las Vegas, Mack started playing at age 7. After grad- uating from Indiana State University with both an undergraduate degree
and a master’s degree, Mack moved to Tampa to develop the First Tee Tampa Bay program. She then took over the First Tee organization in Memphis. She was the 2018 LPGA National Junior Golf Leader, is a Golf Digest Best Young Teacher in America, and an inductee to the African American Golfer’s Hall of Fame.
After serving two years as Re- gional Director/ Associate Executive Director for the Tennessee Golf Foundation and The First Tee of Tennessee in Memphis, Mack went to Callaway Golf company in the Leadership Rotational Program as its first participant and full-time em- ployee of the program. This program is designed to provide qualified MBA holders with golf manufacturing and coaching in a variety of Callaway business units.
Mack states “I don’t want any African American to miss an oppor- tunity because they never learned to play golf. We need to understand how beneficial golf can be.”
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