Not only does Cedric the Entertainer‘s 11th Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament benefit the youth, but it aims to bring more attention to golfing within the Black community.
On Aug. 12, Cedric the Entertainer’s famous pals, including Joe Torry, Smokey Robinson, Byron Scott and Sugar Ray Leonard, attended the annual tournament, which raises funds for California youth.
It’s no secret that Black people don’t typically gravitate toward golf. According to the United States Golf Association, only 126 of the record 10,187 golfers who competed to qualify for the national championship in 2023 identified as Black, translating into a mere 1.2%, per the The Los Angeles Times.
Fred Perpal, the first Black president of the United States Golf Association, wants to see more diversity in the sport.
“If we’re going to have elite golfers of all backgrounds, we’ve got to improve the accessibility,” Perpal told The Los Angeles Times in June 2023.
Cedric The Entertainer couldn’t agree more. “When I first chose golf, I was new to the game, but what I saw was the opportunity to do a lot of great partnerships because you have 18 individual holes and a home base so then, you can have a lot of opportunities to give companies to get in,” he told Blavity. “Of course, I love playing the game … but there was also an opportunity to grab a large number of people to come to one gathering and still have a good time. So, that’s why we chose golf and it’s been working for me.”
To help raise even more money ahead of the main event, a live auction was held. Proceeds from the event go to the Cedric the Entertainer’s Kyles Family Foundation, which supports the Boys & Girls Club of Camarillo.
Several attendees spoke about the importance of the event.
“We just need to be open to conversations with the youth, answer their questions and provide a safe space for them to bounce stuff off of,” Bel-air actor Adrian Holmes told Blavity. “I was fortunate to have some very valuable mentors in my life growing up … they were the pillars for me.”
“It’s really important what the Kyles Family Foundation and the Boys and Girls Club are doing, and that’s why we’re here, to celebrate and to give back,” Matthew Knowles added. “So, Cedric and [William A. Hammond III, Founder and President of Hammond Entertainment], have done an incredible job. This is the 11th year…[they] almost got shut down by the hurricane last year and that didn’t stop them so my wife and I are just happy to be here.
Some folks pointed out how golf can also teach transferrable life skills since it’s more of a mental game than a physical one.
“I didn’t get exposed to it until I retired from professional football and it was right around the time Tiger Woods came along. I have five grandkids and I want all of them to pick up golf clubs,” retired football player Pete Shaw said about getting his grandchildren on the course. “Two of them are little girls [and] three of them are boys, but they will have golf clubs in their hands. Since grandpa plays, they will have golf clubs in their hands and know that there’s another way.”
“Black people can really do anything. We are superhuman. Like it’s crazy,” Cedric the Entertainer’s son Croix Kyles said. “We are not only capable, but we are able to be in those spaces, be poised and be beautiful while we do it. And it’s our responsibility to teach the kids and to teach people … that there is no barrier to entry. We can absolutely go golfing. We can absolutely be on yachts. We can absolutely paint. There is no limit.”
Lexus was the title sponsor for Cedric the Entertainer’s annual fundraiser and has been the vehicle sponsor of the USGA for 18 years, a vehicle sponsor of the PGA Championship and a long-time supporter of the Advocate Pro Golf Association. USGA has also advocated for increasing golf opportunities for Black people for nearly 15 years.
“Lexus is a brand that continues to participate in golf — not only the PGA level but the APGA level. And that is to bring inner city folks into the business of golf, into the game of golf. For Lexus to play a part in that is extremely exciting for us,” Lexus Western Area General Manager Marcus Williams told everyone at the auction party. “And to do it with amazing men like Cedric, who continues to give back at every chance he gets, is fantastic.”
In hopes of making golf more appealing to the Black community, Cedric the Entertainer plans to expand his tournament to bring more attention to HBCU golfers in the coming years.
“This [HBCU Golf Teams are] something that we will probably pivot to in the next year or two,” Cedric the Entertainer said. “With the idea of the NIL deals that are now out there, the opportunity to give young golfers a chance was an opportunity to get into the game and grow in the game of golf with some financial support. It’s a very expensive game once you try to go to the professional level side of it, so that’s one of the big things about that [idea]. And I think that’s why we do the event.”
