{"id":19037,"date":"2021-02-08T11:31:16","date_gmt":"2021-02-08T17:31:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=19037"},"modified":"2021-02-08T11:31:16","modified_gmt":"2021-02-08T17:31:16","slug":"ccnc-announces-harold-varner-as-ambassador-revisiting-how-harold-varner-iii-signed-with-jordan-brand-played-tpc-in-air-jordan-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=19037","title":{"rendered":"CCNC Announces Harold Varner as Ambassador, REVISITING How Harold Varner III signed with Jordan Brand, played TPC in Air Jordan 3"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Country Club of North Carolina (CCNC) announced the newly formed partnership with North Carolina native and PGA Tour golfer Harold Varner III to become the first CCNC Ambassador.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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“Harold has visited CCNC numerous times over the years and speaks very fondly of those experiences, often mentioning that he\u2019d like to return more often,” CCNC President Tom Beddow said in the announcement.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Varner originally hails from Gastonia, NC, and is a 2012 graduate of East Carolina University. His professional golf accomplishments include an ongoing streak of five consecutive PGA Tour playoff appearances and a current world ranking of 135. His charitable efforts through the HV3 Foundation seeks to give back to less fortunate children through increased access and opportunity in the game.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Through this partnership, CCNC is now his official home club in the Pinehurst area, as he resides in Charlotte, which he will promote as such along with occasional assistance and appearances with our junior program, charitable efforts, and championships, Beddow said.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“Harold represents himself, the game, and the state of North Carolina very well, and we are proud to have our club and brand associated with his,” Beddow said. “I hope this is just the beginning of a long-lasting relationship and look forward to seeing him around the club.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

WHO IS HAROLD VARNER<\/strong><\/p>\n

Harold Varner III (born August 15, 1990) is an American professional golfer<\/a> who plays on the PGA Tour. Despite his smaller stature, Varner is one of the longer drivers on tour. Varner is one of just a handful of African-American professional golfers. He won the Australian PGA Championship<\/a> in December 2016.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Varner was born in Akron, Ohio<\/a>, but raised in Gastonia, North Carolina<\/a> where he played golf at Forestview High School. He played his collegiate golf at East Carolina University<\/a> and was the first player in school history to be named Conference USA<\/a> player of the year.[1]<\/a><\/sup> He also competed in the 2010 U.S. Amateur<\/a> at Chambers Bay<\/a> in University Place, Washington<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Professional career<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Varner turned professional in 2012 at the Chiquita Classic<\/a>. Prior to playing on the Web.com Tour, he played on the eGolf Tour and Florida Tour. He qualified for the 2013 U.S. Open<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Varner started playing on the Web.com Tour in 2014, making 13 cuts in 21 tournaments with two top-10 finishes. His best finish was T-2 at the Rex Hospital Open<\/a>. He finished 30th on the money list in his first full season. He also played in two PGA Tour<\/a> events, the Northern Trust Open<\/a> (T70) and Wells Fargo Championship<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2015, he had a fairly consistent season that includes five top-25 finishes and a runner-up finish at the Panama Claro Championship<\/a>. He finished 25th on the Web.com Tour regular season money list, the last guaranteed spot, to earn a PGA Tour card for the 2015\u201316 season. Varner is the first African American golfer to advance to the PGA Tour via the Web.com Tour.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In December 2016, Varner earned his first professional golf victory by winning the Australian PGA Championship<\/a>, a tournament co-sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia<\/a> and the European Tour<\/a>.<\/sup> He is only the second American to win the Australian PGA Championship and the first since Hale Irwin<\/a> won it in 1978. He also became the third black man to win on the European Tour after Vincent Tshabalala<\/a> of South Africa and Tiger Woods.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In May 2019, Varner was tied for second heading into the final round of the PGA Championship<\/a> on Bethpage Black<\/a> outside of New York City. He played in the final group with eventual champion Brooks Koepka<\/a> but fell short of winning the tournament.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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How Harold Varner III signed with Jordan Brand, played TPC in Air Jordan 3<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Golfer first caught the eye of Hornets executive Fred Whitfield<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"PGA:<\/strong>
Harold Varner III plays his shot from the ninth tee during the final round of the Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass. <\/span> Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports <\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Harold Varner III finished at 12 under par at last weekend\u2019s Players Championship, tying for seventh place. It was the 27-year-old\u2019s first top-10 finish in nearly a year, and yet most of the attention from non-hard-core golf fans wasn\u2019t on him winning $331,375.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The internet was raving about his shoes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

While sinking seven birdies during the final round at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, Varner was rocking a pair of white Air Jordan 3s, catching the eye of sneakerheads across the country who probably don\u2019t watch non-major championships or tune out when Tiger Woods isn\u2019t on the course.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What the photos being shared across social media didn\u2019t show was that Varner also wore Jordan Brand polo shirts and hats, requirements of a billion-dollar brand\u2019s endorsement deal. He\u2019s Jordan Brand\u2019s second golf signee, and Varner is signed to the company\u2019s \u201chead-to-toe\u201d endorsement contract (meaning he\u2019s 100 percent decked out in the company\u2019s apparel), making him the conduit for Michael Jordan\u2019s foray into golf, something that wasn\u2019t imaginable for Varner just a year ago.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In summer 2015, Varner played in the HoopTee Celebrity Golf Classic, the brainchild of Fred Whitfield, president and vice chairman of the Jordan-owned Charlotte Hornets and a former executive with Jordan Brand. Whitfield, who like Varner is from North Carolina, had noticed the younger golfer while watching the Wells Fargo Championship and Wyndham Championship during the 2014 and 2016 PGA tours. The pair kept in contact over the next three years \u2014 Varner spoke at Whitfield\u2019s Achievements Unlimited Basketball School in July, while Whitfield hooks Varner up with courtside seats to Hornets games every now and then \u2014 until after the Wyndham Championship in August 2017. Whitfield knew that Jordan Brand was looking to expand out of just the NBA (hip-hop artist Drake has been collaborating with the shoemaker since 2014), and he believed Varner would be the perfect fit for that new frontier.<\/strong><\/p>\n