Pro Golfer Stephen L. Reed first emerged as the poster child for the Tiger Woods Foundation’s “First Tee,” a child prodigy who traveled with Tiger and his late father, Earl, on Nike events. It was an investment that paid handsome dividends when Reed went on to become the first-ever black golfer in Big 12 history and an all-American athlete at Texas A&M University. Today, Reed is trying to join Woods as the PGA’s second African American player in the world. Just coming off a worldwide swing that included Thailand and Argentina, Reed is feverishly working against the tide of percentages and conventional wisdom to earn his qualifying card for the PGA Tour.
In addition to playing against considerable odds, Reed is mentally warring against the naysayers who say he will never make it onto the PGA tour.
“I go to bed with a dream and wake up with the same dream. It’s something that I believe in. I believe in my talent. I believe in my hands,” he said at the recent AAG Foundation Awards gala in Atlanta. “Listen, I had a great foundation. I had two parents. They created a strong foundation for me. A lot of sponsors who sponsored me told me, ‘Well, you can’t, or ‘you might want to try just to the easy route. You might want to not worry about getting on tour but you can teach.’ But I’ve remained steadfast in my vision.”
Reed says African Americans have helped to produce another urban prodigy and increased diversity on the playing field of the homogenous sport. “They are doing their thing, but black corporate America has to get involved and that’s why I’m here in [the] ATL, talking to Chick-fil-A. We have to invest in our own people and in our own community if [we] want the next product. I’ve been invested in, but at the same time while I’m doing my thing, it’s hard for me to let people know what I’m doing because I’m in my own arena.”
That’s why Reed appreciates organizations like the Allied Athletes Group (AAG) Foundation, which fuses the philanthropic efforts of many athletes into a monolithic group. “A lot of the time when you are alone playing all over the world, you feel that you are the only one doing your thing. And so coming down here and being associated with the charity and the AAG kind of makes me feel that I’m part of something that is bigger than me,” he says.
This foundation will help fortify Reed as he works to bring his dream to fruition. Follow Reed’s progress towards qualifying for the PGA on www.stephenlreed.com.
–terry shropshire
