Cameron Champ returned to the place where he learned to love golf in order to share that love with youth from all over the Sacramento area.
Cameron hosted the clinic on Sept. 9 at Foothill Golf Course, where he learned the game from his grandfather Mack. The Champ family now runs the course, which also serves as home base for our foundation, which is committed to diversifying the game and unlocking the potential in youth from underserved and underrepresented communities.
Some of the kids at the clinic were avid golfers looking for tips and inspiration, and others were learning about the game for the first time, but one message was clear to all of them: just like Cameron, you too can achieve great things in the world through hard work and determination.
Many of the juniors in attendance were members of Youth on Course, a national organization that allows youth to pay just $5 for a round of golf at more than 2,000 partner courses. Foothill Golf Course is the home of the Youth on Course Cameron Champ Junior Club and allows YOC members to play unlimited rounds for just $5 per day. Cameron himself was a YOC member and has credited the organization with making the game more affordable when he was a junior golfer.
The foundation’s local efforts include the Cameron Champ Golf Academy at Foothill, which offers affordable junior golf programs (and scholarships for those who can’t afford them); STEM education initiatives; and holiday toy and food drives. The foundation hosts the annual Mack Champ Invitational in Houston, where Cameron now lives. The MCI is the premier tournament for junior golfers from diverse backgrounds, drawing top players from all over the country as well as Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas.
The foundation’s college scholarship program awards more than 20 scholarships annually, including the Chevron | Charlie Sifford Scholarship, which goes to a student from the Sacramento area who demonstrates academic achievement, leadership, financial need, community service, and golf ability.
The PGA Tour’s Fortinet Championship, which will be played this week at Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa Valley, supported the clinic. Cameron won the event at Silverado in 2019, an emotional victory that he dedicated to Mack, who was gravely ill with cancer at the time. Cameron is competing in the tournament again this week.
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