ROCK HILL, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) - - There's something about the sound of a golf club completely connecting with the ball.
" Like if you swish a shot playing basketball and it's like, 'Man, that was ideal,'" said York County teen Jordan Willams.
It keeps him returning to the greens.
" It's truthfully simply a different outlet to see, I guess the end objective is like success or going to college," Williams stated. "Most of the kids where I'm from or in my neighborhood do not go to college or play any sports in college. It's football or basketball if they do. And most of it is extremely unusual."
Williams is a former football and basketball player but ultimately put the bouncing balls down for woods and irons.
Now a senior at Legion Collegiate Academy in Rock Hill, he credits his granny for signing him up for First Tee golf lessons when he was in the seventh grade.
" I didn't have any golf clubs, any golf clothing," Williams remembers. "They gave me my first tee green polo, which I can not fit anymore certainly. And they gave me a set of shoes and some hand-me-down clothes, and I headed out there and played. I fell in love with the video game."
He gets the majority of his practice time at
Charlotte's Dr. Charles L. Sifford golf course, called after the very first professional African American to use the PGA Tour.
A golf course that initially didn't permit black individuals to play there, Williams says it was older, retired black guys who taught him the video game.
" So now me getting this opportunity to come out here and practice whenever I want," Williams stated. "Now I'm going to college to play golf. It's a true blessing, honestly."
This year, Williams received the chance of a lifetime. While contending in NBA star Stephen Curry's Underrated golf tour, he was noticed by coaches from Southern University, a historically black university in Louisiana.
" He spoke with me for about 10 or 15 minutes, and he was like 'If you need it, we're going to provide you a complete ride,'" Williams stated. "And I was like, 'Are you serious?' And I just broke down immediately."
Accepting the offer makes him the very first African American in York County to get a full-ride athletic scholarship in golf. He'll dawn the gold and Columbia blue in the fall.
He states it was constantly his dream to get an athletic scholarship - - and now he's going to college free of charge.
" You take that load off your parents, and then you get to get and have a degree out and get a job, whatever it is, whatever you wish to pursue. I can do that now with debt-free.".
With college paid for, Williams is setting his sights on an NIL deal. He says it's just another opportunity to get more eyes on the sport so other minorities can take a swing at another sport.
" I just wish to make it accessible for everyone and show everyone that anyone can play, anybody can be good at it," Williams stated.
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