USA TODAY International Edition
NBA’s Millsap first PGA WORKS ambassador
Paul Millsap, a four- time NBA AllStar and a power forward for the Nuggets, has become the next great crossover star in the golf world, but in a way unlike other professional athletes before him. Millsap, 34, has been named the first- ever PGA WORKS Ambassador.
PGA WORKS is the flagship platform within the Inclusion pillar of PGA REACH, the 501( c)( 3) charitable foundation of the PGA of America. The PGA WORKS mission is to diversify the golf industry’s workforce through initiatives like fellowships, scholarships, career exploration events and the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship.
It’s a mission not unlike the one Millsap has undertaken through CORE4, an Atlanta- based Prep School Academy and elite basketball skills training facility he co- founded with his three brothers. CORE4, which opened the doors to its facility in 2018, operates on a mantra of four C’s: character, community, commitment and competition.
The program cultivates young men’s basketball skills but also puts an emphasis on life skills, from nutrition to financial literacy to career development. The goal of CORE4 is not just to develop the next generation’s star players but also agents, skill development experts and strength and conditioning coaches.
Backed by Millsap’s passion for the game – he calls himself an avid golfer though humbly describes his game as still inconsistent – this approach will extend to the golf industry, as CORE4 will launch a golf academy that is designed to promote access to golf careers in the industry and pathways to PGA membership.
Millsap, who played for Louisiana Tech and played for the Jazz and the Hawks before joining the Nuggets in 2017, branched into golf about five years ago. He plays as often as he can in the offseason and is captivated by the game. He plays to a 13 handicap and calls his mid- irons the current strength of his game.
Crossing over from basketball to golf will be new territory for Millsap, but he’s uniquely positioned to do it.
“Through life, there’s key components and there’s always fundamentals to basketball, there’s fundamentals to golf, there’s fundamentals to life in general,” Millsap said. “All of them kind of go hand in hand, but when I picked up golf and dug a little bit deeper into what golf was about – patience and the strategy – those types of elements and components that go into that, it translates to basketball and to life.”
Eligible participants in the CORE4 Golf Academy will also be able to participate in PGA WORKS programs nationally.
In addition, Millsap and CORE4 will fund a PGA WORKS Fellowship in the Georgia PGA Section. The PGA WORKS Fellowship is a 12- month paid entry- level position, based at a PGA Section office funded by PGA REACH. The Fellowship presents an experience that is a reflection of what a potential career in the golf industry can offer.
“PGA WORKS is positively impacting the composition of the golf industry’s workforce,” said PGA of America chief people officer Sandy Cross. “As we move our mission forward, it is very powerful for us to align with professional athletes like Paul Millsap, and his organization CORE4, who are equally committed to connecting talented individuals from diverse backgrounds with career opportunities in the golf industry.”