Willie Mack III has earned his shot to play on the PGA Tour.
Mack, a Flint, Michigan native, will participate in the Genesis Invitational thanks to a standout career and a shoutout from Tiger Woods. Woods—host of the tournament—announced Mack as the 2021 recipient of the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption that, since 2009, aims to increase diversity in golf.
“Willie learned to golf with his dad just like I did and those are memories that will last forever. I am excited to see Willie make another lasting memory when he tees it up at Riviera,” Woods said. “Willie has endured through difficult times off the course the past few years and I know Charlie would be proud of how he has stayed focused on achieving his dream.”
After winning 11 titles at Bethune-Cookman, Mack became the first Black golfer to win the Michigan Amateur Championships in 2011. He now plays on the Advocates Pro Golf Association Tour and Florida Professional Golf Tour, earning Player of the Year honors for each in 2019.
The tournament, scheduled for Feb. 18-21 at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, will be Mack’s first PGA Tour start. He previously played on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour Latinoamérica Tour, according to a news release from the Genesis Invitational.
“I want to thank my father who introduced me to the great game of golf,” Mack said. “My dream since I first picked up a club has been to play on the PGA TOUR. It’s really special that I will play in my first PGA TOUR event because of an exemption named after Charlie Sifford, a person I’ve long admired, and in a tournament hosted by Tiger Woods, who is the reason I got into golf.”
The Golf Channel and CBS will have live coverage of the Genesis Invitational.
The exemption to play the PGA’s yearly event at the Riviera has existed for more than a decade but in 2017, was renamed in honor of Sifford, the first Black person to play on the PGA Tour.
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