PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – With more than 1,500 employees in the TPC Network across the United States, Alex Rodriguez, assistant head professional at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, has been named the 2022 recipient of the Network’s A. James Clark Award. The annual award is given in recognition of an employee who upholds the values of the TPC Network and who exemplifies Mr. Clark’s same commitment, strong work ethic and inspirational leadership.
“For his significant and positive impact on TPC Harding Park, the game of golf and the community, Alex is deserving of the highest TPC Network recognition,” said Tom Smith general manager of TPC Harding Park. “He has been instrumental in reaching new golfers, selling out women’s beginner clinics, junior camps and seeing continued growth in the second year of the program. He takes pride in the fact that 65 percent are repeat students, which shows satisfaction and sustained growth.”
Since joining TPC Harding Park in February of 2020, Rodriguez – who was born in Santa Cruz, California – brought with him a highly successful player development program that moved golf lessons from contractors to TPC Network golf professionals. These professionals worked with more than 500 golfers over the summer and brought 100 new golfers on property through junior camps.
“While this might be an individual award, I see it as validation for the collective work that we are doing together,” said Rodriguez. “I have always believed that if you keep your head down and put the work in, good things will happen. I am truly honored to be recognized for this distinguished award.”
Each TPC Network club submits one nominee for the award and a winner is selected by a committee. This is the first time an employee from TPC Harding Park was selected for this honor.
The inaugural A. James Clark award was given in 2015 and past recipients include Jody Boudreau (TPC Sawgrass), Dulce Muniz (TPC Southwind), Maggie Peebles (TPC River’s Bend), Jose Murillo Rodriguez (TPC Deere Run), Noel Hall (TPC River Highlands) and Robin Morello (TPC River Highlands).
About Mr. A. James Clark
The PGA TOUR started working with Mr. Clark in 1987 and named him to what was its Investments Board in 1991. He became a member of the newly created PGA TOUR Golf Course Properties Board in 1994, a position he held until his death in March 2015.
The career of A. James Clark is a true American success story. As a young man, fresh out of the University of Maryland in 1950 with a degree in Civil Engineering, he joined a small local general contracting company that he would eventually own. Over the course of the next sixty years, his leadership and vision transformed it into one of the largest privately held and most successful construction companies in the nation. Clark Enterprises built prisons, power plants, hotels, military barracks, government research facilities, museums, sports arenas and transportation projects. Forbes magazine once dubbed him the “King of Concrete.”
Clark Enterprises was contracted to construct the 77,000 square-foot Mediterranean Revival-style clubhouse at TPC Sawgrass, a project the company completed in ten months, just in time for the 2007 PLAYERS Championship.
As an engineer, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Mr. Clark was the recipient of many academic, professional and civic honors. He was an honorary Trustee of the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, where he contributed tens of millions of dollars to the University, which named its engineering school after him. He was also an Emeritus Trustee of The Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Medicine.
About the A. James Clark Award/TPC Network Employee of the Year
In honor of Mr. A. James Clark, this annual award is presented to an employee who upholds the values of the TPC Network and who exemplifies his qualities, including commitment, strong work ethic and inspirational leadership. The employee who most demonstrates these characteristics will be deemed the TPC Network Employee of the Year and recipient of the A. James Clark award.
Each club submits one nomination. All nominees will be recognized on the A. James Clark plaque at each of their respective clubs, and the receiver of the award will be honored as the recipient on the permanent plaque located in the Players entrance at TPC Sawgrass. The recipient of this award will be recognized at PGA TOUR headquarters, along with a personal plaque and a donation to the charity of his or her choice.
About the TPC Network
Owned, operated, and licensed by the PGA TOUR, the TPC Network is comprised of 29 premier private, resort and daily fee golf properties designed by some of golf’s most elite architects. Twenty of the clubs are operated by affiliates of PGA TOUR Golf Course Properties, Inc. Each TPC has hosted or has been designed to host TOUR-sponsored golf tournaments. Since TPC Sawgrass first opened its world-renowned PLAYERS Stadium Course in the fall of 1980, TPCs have provided the PGA TOUR with rent-free venues for tournaments, helping to boost championship golf purses and increasing charitable donations to grass roots non-profit organizations. At the same time, TPCs have provided recreational golfers with the unique opportunity to test their skills on the same layouts where the world’s best golfers compete.
TPCs are known for their history of hosting PGA TOUR-sponsored golf tournaments, their outstanding conditioning and amenities, as well as a commitment to environmental excellence. The TPC Network is also distinguished by its unwavering commitment to further the PGA TOUR’s giving back mission through support of charitable and community-based programs. For more information, please visit www.tpc.com. For the most up-to-date news, follow the TPC Network on Twitter (@PlayTPC), Instagram (@PlayTPC) or Facebook.com/TPCNetwork.
