Exemption recipient will join tournament host Tiger Woods and star-studded field for the February 13-19 PGA Tour event at the Riviera Country Club
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Representing the advancement of diversity in the game of golf, Kevin M. Hall has been awarded the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption to play in the 2017 Genesis Open. Hall is set to join the field of 144 players at The Riviera Country Club February 16-19.
“It is with great pleasure that I accept the invitation in honor of Mr. Sifford,” Hall said. “I had the privilege to spend time with Mr. Sifford early in my golf career and I am very aware of his history. I am very excited for the opportunity to tee it up with the best players in the world and compete in such a prestigious event as the Genesis Open on behalf of the late Charlie Sifford.”
Hall, 34, has been shattering stereotypes his entire life. Before his third birthday, Hall lost his hearing due to H-Flu Meningitis. While enrolled at the St. Rita School for the Deaf in Cincinnati, Ohio, Hall picked up the game of golf at the age of nine and quickly progressed in the game. By high school, Hall was competing in athletics through his local public school, Winton Woods High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, ascending to the number one ranking for junior golfers in the city by his senior year.
In May 1999, a 16-year-old Hall attended a golf clinic at Glenview Golf Course in Cincinnati hosted by Tiger Woods and the Tiger Woods Foundation.
“Tiger told me to have a wider extension on the take-away,” Hall remembers. “It helped me hit the ball farther and straighter. Tiger then looked at me and said ‘see you on TOUR someday.'”
In addition to receiving swing tips from Woods at the clinic, the foundation selected Hall to participate in the 1999 Junior World Golf Championships in San Diego, CA. At the time, Tiger Woods Foundation was given 18 exemptions into the junior tournament. Hall would graduate as Valedictorian from St. Rita School for the Deaf and attended The Ohio State University on an academic and athletic scholarship.
At Ohio State, Hall became the school’s first African American to play golf on scholarship and was named a team captain during his junior and senior seasons. Hall led the Buckeyes to a Big Ten team title and captured the conference’s individual championship as well in 2004. Following his graduation from Ohio State, Hall turned professional and is currently playing as a member on the SwingThought Pro Golf Tour and the Advocates Pro Golf Tour.
“The Sifford family is tremendously honored for the recognition of our father’s accomplishments by the Tiger Woods Foundation and the Genesis Open,” Charles Sifford Jr. said. “We are most certain he would beam with pride and gratitude for this momentous honor of the diversity exemption in his name. It is really special coming from Tiger, knowing the bond that developed between him and my father.”
“I’m incredibly proud to honor my hero Charlie Sifford through this exemption into the Genesis Open,” tournament host Tiger Woods said. “His sacrifices as a pioneer for golf allowed me to play the game.”
“As a graduate from The Ohio State University myself, I am elated to welcome Kevin M. Hall to the Genesis Open,” said Erwin Raphael, general manager of the Genesis brand in the U.S. market. “Beyond his excellent education choice, Kevin’s determination and drive to do the unexpected represents the best of us at Genesis and I look forward to rooting for him.”
Named in 2017 to honor the memory of Charlie Sifford, the annual PGA TOUR event at Riviera has given an exemption to a golfer representing a minority background for nearly a decade. Previous exemption recipients include Vincent Johnson (2009), Joshua Wooding (2010), Joseph Bramlett (2011), Andy Walker (2012), Jeremiah Wooding (2013), Harold Varner III (2014), Carlos Sainz, Jr. (2015) and J.J. Spaun (2016).
The final field for the 2017 Genesis Open will be released on Friday, February 10. Tickets to the 2017 Genesis Open, starting at just under $20, are on sale now at GenesisOpen.com/Tickets.
About the Genesis Open
The Genesis Open, L.A.’s PGA TOUR event, is bringing the next chapter in championship golf to The Riviera Country Club February 13 – 19, 2017. One of the most historic and longest-running events on the PGA TOUR, the tournament celebrated its 90th playing in 2016 as Bubba Watson won the event for the second time. With the TGR Live serving as event management company for the Genesis Open, the Tiger Woods Foundation is the primary benefiting charity with proceeds from the event supporting the foundation’s college-access programs in Southern California. The tournament is title-sponsored by Genesis, a global luxury car brand that delivers ‘human-centered’ luxury and the highest standards of performance, design and innovation in its vehicles. For more information, visit GenesisOpen.com and follow the tournament on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @GenesisOpen.
About TGR Live
For 20 years, TGR Live has exclusively organized and managed fundraising events supporting the Tiger Woods Foundation. It focuses solely on creating amazing experiences for the foundation’s clients at world-class events like the PGA TOUR’s Quicken Loans National, Genesis Open, and Hero World Challenge as well as Tiger Jam and the Tiger Woods Invitational presented by USLI. TGR Live provides a variety of services to the foundation, including hospitality management, public relations and marketing, tournament operations, and sponsor sales. While many TGR Live events are televised, TGR Live does not provide TV or video production. For more information, visit TGRLive.com.
About Tiger Woods Foundation
We have humble beginnings and a simple, universal vision: we give students in need the right resources to ensure lifelong success in school, their communities and the working world. We don’t allow our students to exist with the labels or restrictions or stigmas. Instead, we empower them to exceed any and all expectations. The TGR Learning Lab unleashes the full capacity of students, preparing them for today’s jobs and the ones that don’t exist yet. Serving students in grades 5-12 in Anaheim, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Stuart, FL, our unique culture fosters development of the whole person while providing critical STEM skills and college prep. With one of the highest graduation rate in the US, the Earl Woods Scholar Program currently has 149 students attending universities nationwide. To celebrate our 20th year, we’re embarking on an ambitious expansion plan, bringing our unique philosophy and educational curriculum to millions of teachers and students around the world. Find more information at tigerwoodsfoundation.org or follow us at @TWFoundation.
Contact:
Greg Ball
gregb@bzapr.com
(760) 271-9183
Noah Sharfman
nsharfman@tigerwoodsfoundation.org
(310) 702-8819
