Ginger Howard
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| Ginger Howard | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Ginger Howard |
| Born | March 15, 1994 |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 2012 |
Ginger Howard (born March 15, 1994)[1] is an American professional golfer. At the age of 17, she was the youngest African American golfer to turn professional.[2] In 2010, she was the first-ever Black golfer to play on a Junior Ryder Cup team, helping Team USA to win the title in Scotland.[2] She later became one of four African American golfers playing in the 2016 LPGA Tour.[3]
Howard grew up in West Philadelphia,[4] and was introduced to golf at the age of 6 by her father, Robert, who worked as a retail manager; her mother, Gianna, worked as a nurse. In 2003, the family moved from Maryland to Florida to be closer to better golf courses.[2]
In Florida, Howard was home-schooled in the mornings with her younger sister Robbi,[4] and then coached at the IMG Academy in the afternoons.[2] She later turned down offers from Duke University and Florida State University to focus on her professional golf career.[5][6]
Amateur career
In May 2007, at the age of 13, Howard advanced through the first stage of qualifying for the U.S. Women's Open, shooting 75 in a USGA local event at Imperial Golf Club in Naples, Florida.[7] She qualified for a total of four U.S. Girls' Juniors.[5] In 2010, Howard was the runner-up at the Junior PGA Championship, losing in a three-hole play-off,[8][9] to earn her a spot on Team USA's Junior Ryder Cup squad.[10][11] She was the first African American junior golfer named to a Ryder Cup team.[2] In September 2010, Team USA retained the Junior Ryder Cup title by beating Europe at Gleneagles, Scotland,[12] the first time the U.S. team had won on foreign soil.[13]