(Burneyville, OK, April 14, 2024): American Nation Bank in southern Oklahoma announced its sponsorship today of the one-hole golf tournament to be held in conjunction with the Pete Brown Diamond Jubilee on May 1 at Falconhead Resort in Burneyville, OK.
Contestants will vie to make par 3 or better on Hole 18, which Pete Brown had to do in the 1964 Waco Turner Open in order to secure a one-stroke lead and become the first African American member of the PGA to win an official Tour stop.
American Nation Bank will award $500 to the Dayton Foundation Pete Brown Scholarship and $500 to winner of the scoring contest.
Family members of the late Pete Brown, including his wife Margaret will be on hand, along with James Ridley of Tampa, FL, coordinator of the Pete Brown scholarship.
American Nation Bank will be represented by Jesse Cross, chairman/CEO and Kyle McLemore.
The Pete Brown-Waco Turner Tribute 72nd Hole Scoring Contest will begin at 3 p.m. at Falconhead Resort, 12 miles west of Marietta (Exit 15 on I35) on Oklahoma Highway 32.
The field is limited to the first 50 men and women who register on May 1. Registration begins at 11 a.m. in the Pro Shop. The entry fee is $10.
Men will play at 232 yards, the distance of the uphill par 3 hole in the 1964 Waco Turner Open.
Women will play from 190 yards, the same as the LPGA pros who played in the LPGA Tour events at Turner's Lodge in the 1950s.
To add authenticity, right-handed players will hit with the 1950s Wilson golf clubs of the late Waco Turner, the sponsor of the Waco Turner Open.
Lefties will hit with their own clubs, but 10 yards farther back. The winner will be decided by a putt-off.
Notables from the world of golf, including PGA Professional Jim Dent, who played on the PGA Tour with Pete Brown starting in 1970, will help lead the celebration on May 1.
At noon a program on the 18th green will feature Dent, sportswriters Jay Upchurch and Peter May, Ramona Harriet, a research historian of African American golf, Howard Williams, the founder of the African American Sports Museum, Sandy Cross, Chief People Officer of the PGA of America, and Dr. Michael Cooper, USGA.
At 1:30 in the Country Club the speakers will share refreshments with the audience.
Harriet will sign copies of her 2015 book "A Missing Link in History: The Journey of African Americans in Golf."
Peter May, sportswriter for Boston Globe, NY Times, and ESPN will sign copies of his 2024 book, "Changing the Course -- How Charlie Sifford and Stanley Mosk Integrated the PGA."
At noon in the Turner's Lodge Pro Golf Museum in the Falconhead Pro Shop, Margaret Brown and the speakers will cut the ribbon on the "Life and Times of Pete Brown" exhibit.
The celebratory day honors Pete Brown for his historic accomplishment and educates about the history of Black pros from 1934-1961 to gain membership in the PGA.
To learn more, contact Barbara Sessions, curator of Turner's Lodge Pro Golf Museum at Falconhead Resort, Burneyville, OK, at (580) 276-7587 or sessions@arbuckleonline.com