He started a program to get minorities involved in golf. Now he’s making his pro debut at REX.
Mulbe Dillard IV is like a lot of the golfers in the field this week at the Rex Hospital Open.
He’s young. He’s a big hitter. He’d like to use the Korn Ferry Tour as a path to the PGA Tour and compete against the best players in the world, including his personal favorite, Justin Thomas.
“I’m super excited about the opportunity,” he said in an interview Tuesday.
Dillard, 22, is making his professional debut at the Rex, which began Thursday, and playing on a sponsor’s exemption. Had he not chosen golf as a profession, he might be starting a career in finance. Growing up in Chicago, his mom was an investment banker. He spent summers as a college intern at financial firms in his hometown and has a college degree in business administration.
But golf has been Dillard’s game, his chosen passion, since watching his dad, Mulbe III, hitting golf balls on the Jackson Park driving range on the South Side of Chicago. Seems his mom had played in some corporate golf outings and could beat his dad, which only fueled his determination to pick up the sport.
“She was whipping up on my dad and he didn’t like that, so he started practicing and practicing and I went with him,” Dillard said, laughing, in an interview with the News & Observer.
It was like father, like son. Dillard started playing golf at 2, played in his first tournament at 5 and said he first beat his dad at 13 in a round at Jackson Park. His game took another step when he joined the Committed Athlete Program in Romeoville, Illinois, where he received golf instruction from some of the state’s top teachers.
“What I love about golf is the independence and the self-credit you have to take for everything,” he said. “If you hit a bad shot, that bad shot is your fault. If you give yourself a bad yardage or don’t think everything through in all conditions, it’s all on you.
“Golf can humble you. Not every day is going to be the best. Some will be the worst. I love the challenge of being comfortable with being uncomfortable in certain situations and taking on the challenge.”
Getting more Black, minority golfers involved in the game
After high school, it was on to Florida A&M and college golf, and now the first stab at pro golf with Dillard’s first start coming in the Korn Ferry Tour event at the County Club of Wakefield Plantation.
“Just thought I’d give it a go as a professional and here I am,” he said.
Dillard earned his exemption into the Rex after finishing as the No. 1 golfer in the Advocates Professional Golf Association’s collegiate ranking. The APGA, in conjunction with the PGA Tour and its commitment to more inclusion, provided an entryway for minority golfers into APGA tournaments and various Korn Ferry Tour events.
Dillard would like to see more Black and minority golfers involved in the sport and has taken part in the First Tee of Greater Chicago program in trying to increase participation. He also started his own golf academy at his old high school to try and spur interest.
“I think for minorities golf is not a sport that is very highlighted in today’s world,” he said. “Not a lot of people will come out to the golf course and watch you play. They’d rather go to a football game or basketball game.
“It’s a game with a lot of down-and-dirty work, and it’s a very financially demanding game and there are not that many minorities out there who have the means to spend that much money. Funding when you’re making the transition from amateur to professional golf is pretty important.”
From Florida A&M to the APGA Tour
The top five ranked APGA players can gain entry into Korn Ferry events this year, and will have their travel costs for APGA Tour pro events and the Korn Ferry Qualifying Tournament covered by the PGA Tour.
Dillard helped spur Florida A&M to the 2021 MEAC Championship, the first in program history. He was fifth in the event, one of five top-10 finishes this year, and tied for 28th in the NCAA regional in Tallahassee, Florida.
After the Rex, Dillard will compete in tournaments on the APGA tour. He also could try Monday morning open qualifiers into Korn Ferry or PGA Tour events. That’s a hard way to go, but the PGA Tour has helped provide a different kind of pathway with its work with the APGA program.
“That’s done so much for me and a lot of minorities that are up and coming, and the PGA Tour and the Korn Ferry coming a little bit out of their comfort zone to allow a couple of minorities to have sponsor’s exemptions is great,” Dillard said.
“It really doesn’t matter, your skin color. It’s about good scores and getting the ball in the hole. That’s what me and a lot of minorities are focused on.”
REX Hospital Open
Korn Ferry Tour event
When: Thursday-Sunday
Where: Country Club of Wakefield Plantation, Raleigh.
Information: Rexhospitalopen.com
This story was originally published June 3, 2021 at 8:44 AM.
