Black Athletes in the Spotlight: HBCU Sports & Local Highlights
- Clay Myers and Justin Martin serve as ambassadors, mentoring student-athletes and connecting them to PGA career pathways.
- Both were influenced by Bill Cioffoletti, whose mentorship guided them toward PGA membership and lifelong careers in golf.
- PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship features Youth Day and career expos, opening doors and inspiring the next generation of golf industry leaders.
PGA Head Professional Clay Myers and PGA Director of Coaching Justin Martin Reflect on Championship’s Impact
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (May 5, 2026) — The PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship Presented by Chase and Kohler Co. has been a beacon of opportunity since 1986, when it was known as the National Minority Championship. The PWCC is being held this week at The Park in West Palm Beach Fla., and as always, its primary mission is to provide high-level, competitive opportunities for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and other minority-serving institutions that were often disincluded from other collegiate championships.
But there’s a secondary, yet still critical, mission—opening doors to careers in and around the golf industry for participating student-athletes. That ethos isn’t lost on Clay Myers, The Park’s PGA Head Golf Professional, and Justin Martin, its PGA Director of Coaching. Both once competed in the Championship, and their first time hosting the PWCC is a chance to reflect.
Myers first experience with the Championship came in 2011, when he was a senior and team captain at Jackson State University. While playing at PGA Golf Club, he met the late PGA Director of Golf and Master Professional Bill Cioffoletti, who passed away from cancer in 2022.
“I don’t know what drew me to him at that time, but he told me how great the PGA is and how we need more great golfers and people in the Association,” said Myers.
Cioffoletti, who was on the Association’s education faculty for more than two decades, told Myers about the PGA Professional Golf Management Program. He was intrigued, but wanted to first give playing professionally a go.
Following graduation, Myers played the mini tours and appeared on Golf Channel’s “Big Break The Palm Beaches” at PGA National. Six years later, after marrying, starting a family in Dallas and looking for more stability, he turned to the PGM Program and was unexpectedly reunited with Cioffoletti.
“Once I got my assistant pro job at Cedar Crest and got into level one of the PGM Program, Bill Cioffoletti was my instructor,” said Myers. “I just felt like he was really there for me when a lot of people weren’t. He was really in my corner.
“That was certainly a full-circle moment for me and he got to see me graduate and get my PGA Membership. He was the greatest.”
This week it’s Myers’ turn to serve as a mentor to the student-athletes in the PWCC. This is the fifth time he is serving as a PWCC ambassador, and will do so alongside 11 other PGA of America Golf Professionals from around the country, connecting participants to industry leaders who can help guide their careers.
“Our goal is to meet all the players and coaches and be their representation and show there is a career after college golf, even if you still want to play golf,” Myers said. “I can’t express enough how much the PGA and being a Member has changed my life for the better. I’m still able to do all the things I wanted to do in golf and hopefully I can encourage and inspire these participants in the tournament to do the same.
“We want to show them ‘there is a place for you,’ and the PGA is there if they want to make this a career.”
Martin competed in the PWCC four times (2004-06, 08) while attending Hampton University—which dropped its golf program in 2020 due to COVID—but says the Championship was the highlight of every golf year.
“It gave me an opportunity, along with other minority and Black golfers, to go play a top-of-the-line Championship,” said Martin, a 10-year PGA Member. “Back when I played it, it was held annually at PGA Golf Club, and it was our favorite event of the year. It was our major, we all wanted to play well.”
As an Ambassador this year, Martin will encourage participants to take advantage of all the PWCC has to offer.
“My goal then was to play (professionally),” said Martin. “We had a career fair that was part of our events, as well, and in hindsight I wish I had taken better advantage. To be able to have that aspect now and let kids know about the careers in the game as the industry has vaulted forward over the two decades since I played in the tournament, there’s a lot more options in the industry now.”
Martin’s first time as a PWCC Ambassador was at Shoal Creek in 2023, helping introduce the game to local kids during the PWCC’s Youth Day and mentor the student-athletes throughout the week. Now he gets to do it again at his own facility.
“If you had told me in my last PWCC in 2008, 18 years down the line, that I’d have been a PGA member for a decade, helped open two different facilities, been named to Golf Digest’s Best Young Teachers in America List, met the people I’ve met, helped the beginners I’ve been able to help, I would have said, ‘You’re absolutely kidding.’”
That’s the kind of life-changing effect the PWCC—and golf—can have. Which is why when the opportunity to host it at The Park, Martin was all-in.
“Any time I get a chance to talk to the youth who are figuring out what their path is, I try to let them know there is a path in this game for them.”
And like Myers, Martin was influenced by Bill Cioffoletti.
“He did so much for this particular event, even back when I played, telling the story of the PGA of America, letting all of us know that the Association was there for us, as well. He had a really big part in that. When he passed away, I was devastated because, again, he meant so much to all of us.”
It’s now up to Clay Myers and Justin Martin to open doors, act as mentors and help create the next generations of the game’s leaders through their involvement with the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship.
The second round of the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship is underway, live scoring can be viewed HERE. The Championship is broadcast on Golf Channel from 4-7 p.m. EST. Spectators are welcome and can also follow the action by following @pgaworkscollegiate on social media.
About PGA WORKS
PGA WORKS is a strategic initiative designed to broaden the golf industry’s workforce and beyond. Funded by the PGA of America REACH Foundation, the 501(c)(3) charitable foundation of the PGA of America, PGA WORKS leverages fellowships, scholarships, career exploration events and the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship to inspire and engage talent from all backgrounds to pursue key employment positions across the golf industry. For more information, visit PGAREACH.org/PGAWORKS, follow @PGAWORKS on X, formerly known as Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
About PGA of America REACH Foundation
The PGA of America REACH Foundation is the 501(c)(3) charitable foundation of the PGA of America. The mission of the Foundation is to positively impact the lives of youth, military and underserved communities by enabling access to PGA of America Golf Professionals, PGA Sections and the game of golf. For more information on the PGA of America REACH Foundation, visit PGAREACH.org, follow @PGAREACH on Instagram, X and find us on Facebook.
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