BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. — One Midlands African American golfer is hoping to one day dawn the famous Masters Green Jacket and also wants to be a role model for younger players.
John Thompson is only a Freshman at Spring Valley High School, but he’s already entering his 2nd season as a Member of Spring Valley’s Varsity golf team.
“I started playing when I was about three and I really fell in love with the game around ten,” Thompson says. “My mindset is to look into the future and ease my mind and make sure I’m calm heading into the next shot.”
Thompson’s calmness under pressure has helped him make a name for himself outside of South Carolina, with several division one schools already scouting him.
Last summer, he won first place at a Juneteenth event hosted by the Black Alliance, who are a nationwide golf group that has over 7000 members. In the tournament, John beat out 50 other men and helped raise $7500 for the golf program at Texas Southern University.
“It’s really nice to see how John has evolved.” Says Karen Thompson, John’s mom. “He’s this fifteen-year-old kid that loves the game and wants to do something with it.”
“We really made a big contribution to help them prosper their golf facilities,” Thompson says. “As a African American, it really felt like I could help somebody of my kind out.”
Thompson hopes to become a division one golfer and he also wants to pursue a career in the PGA Tour.
“The sky’s the limit he’s just a freshman and we see great things happening in his life.” Said Ro Thompson, John’s father.
While being like his idol Tiger Woods is a very big target, his biggest goal is to inspire young African American kids to try their hand at the game.
“Some of my goals are to help the African American Community out and I hope they look at me as a Role Model and a person that can help everyone around them.” Thompson said.
In addition to his spring season with Spring Valley, John will participate in the 2022 Mack Championship, which will feature some of the best Minority junior golfers in the Country. He will also defend his title at the 2022 Juneteenth event during the PGA Memorial Golf tournament in Dublin, Ohio.