By Eleanor Jones, Drew Charter School Student Correspondent

Historically, when the TOUR Championship comes to East Lake, millions of dollars are donated to the East Lake foundation. The money is poured right back into the community through the First Tee Program and Drew Charter School. This year, I got the opportunity to interview some of the young golfers who were selected to participate in the Charity Challenge that took place on August 24, 2022. 

Benjamin Harper is a senior at Drew and has been playing golf for about 7 years and was  recommended by his coaches from the First Tee of Metro Atlanta to play the 11th hole for the Charity Challenge. Ben says “Being here gives me the chance to connect with a lot more people than I would usually connect with as a high school student.” Ben reflects on the benefits of the Charity Challenge, sharing that “It provides my school and other black golf teams with exposure on TV to show our talents as well as benefiting my community (East Lake) for future years to come.” 

I also got the chance to have a conversation with Hailey Fisher, a Drew Charter graduate who attends University of Maryland Eastern Shore on a golf scholarship. She comes to the TOUR as an HBCU representative to compete in the Charity Challenge. Hailey has been playing golf for about 12 years now, and notes the significance of the Charity Challenge for her. “It can help me improve my golf career because I get to see how the tournament is run.”We transition to talk to Elsie Husted, who had the closest shot to the pin. She is also a Drew Charter School student who has 10 years of golf experience under her belt. To other young golfers out there, she says “Ask yourself what’s the worst that can happen?”

From giving young golfers opportunities to network and improve their skills to pouring money into communities like East Lake, the Charity Challenge benefits people both on and off the course. 

[envira-gallery id=”4370″]