Howard University’s women’s golf team showed up and showed out at this year’s Hornet Classic, resulting in a win at a 3-round tournament, and with three players finishing in the top 5.
The three-day tournament hosted by Delaware State University was held at Kings Creek Country Club in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. According to Howard University, the Bisons shot 21-over par (873) during the September 17-19 tournament. The Bison victory resulted in a record low for the Howard University Team, who shot five-under-par (283) in round 2. Leading the top 5 finishers of the tournament was Emily Mayne, a freshman from Kingston Jamaica, who shot five-over par (218) at the game. Kendall Jackson, a junior from Pearland, Texas; and sophomore Morgan Horrell finished 4th (219, +6) and 5th (220, +7), respectively.
In a March interview with WUSA 9, back when Jackson was a freshman at the university, she reflected on why she joined the Bisons. “There weren’t a lot of females playing growing up, let alone black females,” she said. That’s one of the main reasons I came to Howard: to play with other black women. I truly want to inspire not just black people into golf, but because black women make up less than 1% in the golf industry as a whole, so I just invite more people to do it, and that would be amazing for sure.”
According to Howard University, the reigning Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year and Los Angeles native, Marley Franklin, tied for 11th place, shooting 11-over par (224). In the second round, Franklin shot a 68 (-4), setting a new personal best. Third-year team member and Suwanee Georgia native Jada Richards finished in 16th place (229, +16).
The team’s win comes shortly after the release of the documentary Why Not Us, which features the university’s golf team. ESPN reported that the documentary, produced by Andscape and Stephen Curry’s Unanimous Media, highlights the challenges and successes of coaches and student-athletes at the university. Why Not Us debuted on ESPN and ESPN+ on August 21 and is available to stream on Hulu.
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