In November 2020, Fred Ridley, the chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club, announced that it would be funding a women’s golf program at Paine College, an HBCU in Augusta, GA.
On top of that, the golf club said it would endow two student-athletes with a “Lee Elder Scholarship”, in honor of Lee Elder, the first African-American to play in the Masters Tournament.
Wednesday, it was announced that the first Lee Elder scholarship for the Paine College women’s golf team would be given to Taya Buxton, a senior at Olentangy Liberty High School in Powell, OH.
Buxton, a 17-year-old and first-team all-OCC golfer, will compete on the inaugural Paine College women’s golf team in the fall of 2022.
“I felt like it would be a tremendous opportunity to receive the scholarship and come and be a part of the first year of women’s golf at Paine,” Buxton told the Augusta Chronicle. “It’s an honor to be here with the Augusta connection, and to have the chance, with some of my new teammates, to build this program.”
Making an influence on the women’s game has been apart of Buxton’s mindset since beginning golf in middle school.
“Women’s golf is getting bigger every year,” she said. “And along with my desire to play and my confidence in the game, I just felt like I could really come in and make a difference.”
Chairman Ridley, while honoring Buxton at his annual press conference on Wednesday, also announced the other recipient would be Savannah State’s Devin Smith. The announcements were met with significant applause from those in the media center.
Buxton also touched on her excitement and inspiration regarding the return of Tiger Woods to golf.
“Everything about him just inspires me to try and be a better golfer,” Buxton said. “Even here at The Masters and how he’s making the attempt to come back, it just really embodies who he is to the game. I’m excited to see it.”
