Mableton Teen's Mission Is Driving Inclusion In The Game Of Golf

MABLETON, GA -- Jasmin Cunningham, 22, a former youth participant in the First Tee of Atlanta, is one of only eight African-American female PGA Professionals, and is among the PGA of America’s 29,000 members who are responsible for managing the business of golf, and growing interest and participation in the game around the world.

Today, on the heels of graduating from University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s (UMES) PGA Golf Management University Program, which is one of 18 accredited institutions in the country, Jasmin is launching her business career. She's on a quest to inspire more people of color to get involved in the game of golf and working as an Inclusion & Diversity Intern for the PGA of America at the Association’s HQ in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

When she was 10, Jasmin’s father, Scott, enrolled her in The First Tee of Atlanta, beginning a golf journey that has taken her to Membership in the PGA of America. Her experience at the First Tee motivated Jasmin to pursue golf as a career and, upon being named recipient of the prestigious Renee Powell Foundation Scholarship, she was provided the opportunity to attend UMES and graduate from the PGA Golf Management University Program.

While at UMES, Jasmin was a member of the inaugural women’s golf team, which competed in the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship, then known as the PGA Minority Collegiate Championship, which takes place annually in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and is considered the most culturally significant event in golf.

Today, having been named to the prestigious intern program at the PGA of America, one of Jasmin’s core assignments is to help manage the PGA Works Collegiate Championship, the very event she played in while at the UMES, and which helped propel her to PGA membership.

In addition to her role with the championship, Jasmin works closely on many programs in the PGA of America’s Inclusion & Diversity Department, which is dedicated to growing the game in inclusive ways. She is extremely passionate about the PGA’s emphasis on bringing more youth, women and people of color into the game.

In addition, once the PGA Works Collegiate Championship concludes, Jasmin will be helping Clemson University with its Black Girls Golf Summer Scholars Program, which introduces a diverse group of junior golfers to instruction from PGA Professionals, as well as to the institution’s PGA Golf Management University Program.

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