It’s been a long time coming, but the first African American Golfer since Tiger Woods has joined the PGA. Joseph Bramlett who has been preparing for a professional golf career for most of his young life puts you in the mind of a young Tiger Woods.
Like Tiger, Bramlett grew up in an interracial family — his father is black, his mother is white. He graduated from St. Francis High School in Mountain View, Calif. in 2006 during which time he was named the 2005 San Jose Sports Authority High School Athlete of the Year. He was also a two-time San Francisco Chronicle Athlete of the Week. In 1992 at age 14, he became the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Amateur. He was a GCAA All-American his freshman year at Stanford, where as a freshman, he shot rounds of 78-68-70-69 (+5, 285) to help Stanford win its eighth NCAA title.
Bramlett obtained his PGA tour card for the upcoming 2011 season by posting an 11-under total through six rounds at the PGA Tour’s annual Qualifying Tournament. He admits he started playing golf after Tiger Woods won the 1997 Masters, and that he would even travel to Stanford University to watch him play when he was a youth. There have only been about 20 or so African American members of the PGA Tour, dating back to the 1960s. He joins a list that includes Charlie Sifford, Pete Brown, Jim Dent, Calvin Peete and Jim Thorpe prior to Woods. On Twitter, Woods stated. “Can’t wait to play with him next season.”
Bramlett is the second man of African American heritage to get through Q-school in the past 25 years. Adrian Stills was the last man to do so, back in 1985. He is also sponsored by equipment manufacturer Nike just as his childhood hero, Tiger Woods was.
