When Hope Hall was a freshman at Dartmouth College, she wanted to compete in the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship, but the timing with classes never worked out. Now, as a senior, she will get to end her collegiate golf career at the tournament in West Palm Beach, Fla., next week.
The PWCC was created in 1986 with the goal of highlighting competitive golf programs at the most underserved and underrepresented minority-serving institutions in the country, according to its website.
Hall, who entered the Dartmouth women’s golf program as its first Black athlete since Kim Selmore played about 40 years ago, is among 15 competitors in the women’s individual field.
“It means a lot,” said the Big Green senior, on being able to compete in the tournament. “I think the tournaments and the tours that are designed for underrepresented communities in golf are really important.”
To enter as an individual, Hall had to apply. Student-athletes who were part of their collegiate golf teams but did not have their team at the event were invited to do so, per the PWCC’s website, which notes that applicants whose backgrounds align with the championship’s mission were given preference. Other factors considered include scores and rankings.
While events similar to the PWCC have fostered connections among athletes and been enjoyable for Hall in the past, her appearance at the championship — which begins Monday — is made even more meaningful by the presence of a familiar competitor.
Hall’s sister, Alana, a sophomore at Lehigh University, will also be competing.
“I’m really excited to play with my sister,” Hall said. “We played together a couple of times during the season, so it’s really nice to play with her.”
Heading into the championship, Hall isn’t setting big expectations for herself — by design.
“I don’t love to go into tournaments with big expectations for myself or my play other than to play to the best of my ability,” she said. “I had a captain once tell me ‘low expectations, low scores’ so I try to go into my tournaments with the view of I’m going to play the very best that I can.”
That said, Dartmouth women’s golf coach Alex Kirk foresees his co-captain — who was the Big Green’s low scorer at the Ivy League Championships last weekend — playing well.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for her to play and just have her ability shine again,” he said. “I like her chances… I don’t think anyone can hit it as far as she can.”
Kirk’s confidence in Hall partly stems from the fact that the tournament will serve as a homecoming of sorts. Hall played high school golf at Saint Andrew’s School in Boca Raton, Fla., about 25 miles from The Park, the course where the PWCC will be played.
Though she said she had played the course only once, if at all, she has walked it multiple times and said she was looking forward to going back home.
“It’s a really beautiful course, it’s a really great location, so I am super excited,” Hall said.
With this being her last tournament as a collegiate golfer, Hall acknowledged bittersweet feelings but called it a full-circle moment.
“It’s just a very humbling, exciting prospect,” she said. “I think to end it on a tournament as important as the PGA WORKS event and community-centered as the PGA WORKS event is a really lovely prospect, and I’m super excited to play.”
The tournament runs Monday through Wednesday and will be broadcast on Golf Channel beginning at 4 p.m. each day. For more information and live scoring, visit sites.google.com/pgahq.com/pga-works-collegiate/home.
