Tigress

By USC Athletics Black History Month

February 22^nd, 2024

USC women’s golf junior Amari Avery is currently the 17th-ranked amateur golfer in the world.

She’s come a long way from being a kid who idolized the great Tiger Woods.

When she was young, her father nicknamed her “Tigress” because of her similarities to Woods. Both were born on Dec. 30. Both grew up in Orange County. Both got their first hole-in-one at Heartwell Golf Course in Long Beach, CA. While Avery’s father is Black and her mother is Filipino, Woods’ father is Black and his mother is of Thai descent.

USC women’s golf head coach Justin Silverstein, meanwhile, likens Avery to another sports giant: Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr.

“Big smile, got all the swag and the coolest swing out there," said Silverstein of Avery in an ESPN article last year.

Avery has had incredible success in her time at USC. She is a two-time WGCA/Golfweek All-American (First Team in 2022, Honorable Mention in 2023) and a two-time Pac-12 First Team selection. In 2022, she was a finalist for the ANNIKA Award (golfer of the year). She is the USC record holder for most rounds of 60 in a career (23) and lowest score in a tournament (-15: 201) and tied for second in USC history with 5 individual tournament titles.

"To be compared to the likes of Tiger Woods and Ken Griffey Jr, who are both pioneers for their sports, is something that I admire and look up to as a young African American/Filipino woman in golf,” Avery said. “Having close ties with Tiger for the majority of my life because of my background and what I have accomplished thus far, it is an honor to be compared to someone who completely changed the game of golf and opened the doors for people from diverse backgrounds to feel like they belong and can thrive in a space that historically did not allow for that."

While the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA) was established in 1916, the organization did not approve the participation of Black golfers until 1952. In 1961, Charles Sifford became the first Black golfer to earn a PGA Tour card. In 1975, Lee Elder became the first Black golfer to compete in the Masters — considered the sport's most prestigious tournament. Augusta National Golf Club, which hosts the Masters, did not have a Black member until 1990.

Despite Woods’ popularity, African Americans still do not participate in golf in large numbers. In 2022, Golf Digest reported that of the nearly 29,000 PGA of America members, fewer than 1 percent were African Americans. In 2023, Ipsos and Syngenta found that African American golfers made up just 5% of the country’s 25 million players.

Just as Woods has inspired Avery, she hopes that her success as an African American/Filipino woman inspires the next generation.

"The game of golf has given me so many opportunities,” said Avery. “I hope to be a role model for young girls and boys across all backgrounds to show them that you can be successful and accomplish your dreams no matter what you look like.”