Marcus Smith, Jr., wants golf to be more inclusive.
When he was young, he saw other Black kids play football and basketball. Use golf. Very rare golf.
“I am trying to make golf cool,” Smith said.
Smith is the only Black man to win the Rockford championship in the 95-year history of the Men’s City. Smith also won the Class 1A state title as a junior at Winnebago in 2018. The IHSA can’t think of any other Black player to win a boys state high school title.
“I am at a loss for words by this information, but I am not sad,” Smith said. “I am humbled and honored to achieve this accomplishment and hope that I have set a precedence and motivation for future Black players. They see that this is attainable and these doors are also and forever will be open to them.”
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Smith, one of the brightest golf prodigies in Rockford history, now has the perfect partner to do that with: two-time NBA MVP Steph Curry.
In 2020, Curry helped Howard University, a historically Black university in Washington, DC, revive its golf program after an almost 50-year absence. The Bison have also moved up to NCAA Division I for the first time in golf. Smith, who transferred from Eastern Michigan, was one of three Bison to earn all-Northeast Conference honors last year.
Curry committed to completely funding Howard’s golf programs for six years after being approached by intramural golfer Otis Ferguson IV on the Howard campus when Curry hosted a screening of “Emanuel,” a documentary on the 2015 killings of a nine Blacks in a church shooting by a white supremacist.
‘It’s the mecca’
Howard re-started his golf program at a time when only 119 Black men and women played on the 541 college golf teams in the nation, according to African American Golfer’s Digest. That’s one Black player for every five teams. At Howard, 10 of the 11 men’s golfers are Black.
“It’s like having my siblings around,” said Smith, the oldest of seven kids. “I wasn’t bonding as well as I wanted with my teammates (at Eastern Michigan). At Howard, I have had no issue making friends and getting close with my teammates. It’s a special experience at Howard. It’s the mecca.”
Smith, who majors in psychology with a minor in business, has two more years left at Howard. He was in a bit of a golf lull before he transferred, with two unimpressive years at Eastern Michigan. But shortly after he committed to Howard, he tied for third in the Illinois Open.
“I was just in a zone,” said Smith, who was tied for the lead going into the third and final round. “It was an event I prepared myself for the entire summer and could relax and stay at ease.”
Brad Benjamin, who won the Illinois Open the year he qualified for The Masters by winning the US Public Links title in 2009, is the only Rockford-area golfer who has finished higher. Madasyn Pettersen, a childhood friend of Smith’s who grew up a mile away, won the Women’s Illinois Open at age 15.
Ambassador goals
Smith, who started golfing at age 4 and was ranked No. 7 in the world at age 7, wants to become a pro golfer. He also wants to be in the business of being a golf ambassador.
Smith said he hopes to one day have a foundation where he can help kids have the equipment they need to play golf.
“A lot of Black people overlook golf,” Smith said. “I would like to help. The biggest thing is getting kids the equipment they need. Golf equipment is extremely expensive. It would be nice if I could help kids get clubs so they could have the equipment and actually be able to play.”
Like Steph Curry.
Now he just needs to meet Curry again.
“I was in class the other day when Steph popped in and did workouts with my teammates,” Smith said. “I get out of class after my exam and I am walking to my shuttle while my phone is blowing up. Howard golf had posted Steph Curry was there. … Wow! It was a bit unfortunate. My class was two hours and by the time I got out Steph had already left.
“He’s just a great guy. He looks out for us in more ways than we even know.”
Contact: [email protected], @matttrowbridge or 815-987-1383. Matt Trowbridge has covered sports for the Rockford Register Star for over 30 years, after previous stints in North Dakota, Delaware, Vermont and Iowa City.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Rockford-area’s Marcus Smith wants to give back like Steph Curry