(ThySistas.com) Generally speaking history is not made overnight. Therefore, the strides made by Sadena Parks this year could go a long way toward producing the first African American winner on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour in the not so distant future.
Parks, who started playing golf at the age of nine, is having a solid rookie season on the LPGA Tour. The goal of all LPGA rookies is to maintain their full-time Tour card, and Parks is on track after tying for 29th place at the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic on Aug. 27. More important, the result moved Parks up to 97th place on this season’s LPGA Money List—only players in the top 125 at season’s end maintain cards for next year.
Golf is a game of perseverance and patience and Parks has already displayed both qualities during her brief professional career. After earning her way on the LPGA Tour by finishing fourth on the Symetra Tour in 2014, Parks has advanced to weekend play in her past four tournaments. In doing so, Parks overcame a stretch where she had missed six of seven cuts.
On Sept. 10, Parks will tee it up against the best in her sport when first round play begins at The Evian Championship, in France, which is this season’s fifth and final Grand Slam tournament on the LPGA Tour. Earlier this season, Parks more than demonstrated her mettle against Grand Slam tournament competition, by tying for 22nd place at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
To the casual fan, the sight of a brown face in a professional golf tournament no doubt brings Tiger Woods to mind. As it turns out, Parks is a good friend of Tiger’s niece, Cheyenne Woods, who also is playing her rookie season on the LPGA Tour. However, Parks’ story is much different. For starters, she did not begin her professional career with great fanfare and substantial sponsorships. Instead, Parks’ story is more like the journey of many everyday African American young women who have prepared arduously for success in the workplace and only desire a level playing field to show their worth.
The game of golf, by its very nature provides this level playing field, when all players are provided access to the sport at the beginning stages, as Parks was. Sponsorship support is certainly critical in an expensive undertaking like professional golf, and hopefully more sponsorship support will come Parks’ way, as she continues to demonstrate her talent and promise.
Anyone watching and supporting Sadena Parks now could very well be witnessing the making of a champion, and that is why I already have my popcorn ready for Sept. 10 when she takes on the best in the world.
Staff Writer; Scott Talley
This talented journalist is owner of a public relations firm; Scott Talley & Associates, Inc….
