ATLANTA (AP) — LeBron James' growing passion for golf now includes a partnership with the PGA Tour announced Tuesday that will bring a two-day tournament to Firestone Country Club in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, next summer to connect youth with aspiring professionals.
The LeBron James Family Foundation Invitational will be played July 6-7 on the South course at Firestone, where the PGA Tour recently ended a 72-year run.
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The event is to include mentorship that connect students from James' “I Promise” program with players who advanced through the tour's Pathway to Progression Pro-Bound Five that creates spots for college players in the Advocates Professional Golf Association circuit.
James, who signed a two-year deal to play with the Philadelphia 76ers, recently launched his own YouTube Golf channel, which began with a golf trip to Scotland with former Cleveland Cavaliers teammates.
“Golf has become a passion of mine, and I’ve seen firsthand how the game can open doors, build relationships and create opportunities that many kids don’t even know exist,” James said in a release. "This partnership with the PGA Tour gives my foundation a chance to introduce my ‘I Promise’ students and more people to the game at a young age, support talented athletes chasing their dreams, and continue investing in the city of Akron that means everything to me.”
The “I Promise” program serves Akron-area students and their families by providing them with the programs, support and resources to succeed in school and beyond. The idea behind the two-day tournament is to introduce them to golf through community programs while creating opportunities for those getting onto the APGA.
The APGA Tour began in 2010 and was geared toward minority players, particularly Black golfers.
“The PGA Tour believes golf can create opportunity, change lives and bring communities together,” said Brian Rolapp, the PGA Tour's CEO and commissioner. “LeBron and the LeBron James Family Foundation have shown what is possible when that commitment is backed by action, and this partnership brings that shared vision to life."
Rolapp also said the partnership gives the PGA Tour a presence at Firestone. The course had been part of the golf landscape dating to the 1954 Rubber City Open. It since hosted two PGA Championships, the World Series of Golf and a World Golf Championship that Tiger Woods won eight times.
It became a PGA Tour Champions major until announcing that it was leaving this year for California.
“The LeBron James Family Foundation is very proud to be part of preserving the PGA Tour’s presence in our community,” said Michele Campbell, executive director of the LeBron James Family Foundation. “With this event, we’re excited to not only support more diverse golfers getting into the game, but to also expose our ‘I Promise’ students and more youth in Akron to the world of possibilities that golf opens up.”
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See AP’s full golf coverage here
