PGA of America, USGA decry racial injustice

The PGA of America and USGA both released statements on the killing of George Floyd in police custody and racial injustice in the United States.

On Wednesday, PGA of America president Suzy Whaley and CEO Seth Waugh both penned open letters on the subject as protests continued across the country.

"It is my belief that humanity stems from kindness, faith, and hope," said Whaley, the organization's first female president. "But as I watch the continued injustice against African-Americans in our communities, the mass destruction and hopelessness, the frustration and the call for action in cities nationwide to stand for what is just and humane, I understand the power we have as a game and as a group of individuals that will no longer tolerate the racism and bigotry that lives today and has lived in our past. Our spaces can be used for good, to invite and welcome people from all walks of life and to rise up and say no more. Enough is enough."

Waugh said remaining silent on the matter is "simply unacceptable and was never an option for us as an Association" while admitting he's living a privileged life.

"I honestly didn’t realize that my greatest privilege was simply to be born white and male. That single fact, that I had absolutely nothing to do with, was somehow my single biggest advantage in life. How wrong is that?" Waugh wrote.

"While I can’t ever truly understand what it’s like to grow up and live as a person of color in our America, I can listen, and can understand that it’s hard, really hard, stupidly hard, unfairly hard. I’ve been told that as a white male my voice, while not built from relevant life experience, may perhaps resonate in this moment because it carries the weight of a platform and possible change."

The USGA followed the PGA of America's lead by acknowledging the organization "has fallen short" in the past but vows to be a part of the solution moving forward.

On Friday, the PGA Tour released the memo sent to players earlier in the week. Commissioner Jay Monahan also sat down with Harold Varner III - one of the Tour's two full-time African-American members - for a discussion on how to support the fight against racism.