Golf star Phil Mickelson has donated a half-million dollars to Jackson State University, a historically Black school, ahead of a televised charity golfing event this Friday.
The event, Capital One’s The Match: Champions for Change aims to organize funding for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) across the country.
The Mississippi university announced the $500,000 donation from the World Golf Hall of Famer, as well as fundraising opportunities during the event that will air on TNT at 3 p.m. EST.
According to the university’s press release, Mickelson, as well as Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, three-time NBA champion Stephen Curry and two-time Super Bowl champion Peyton Manning, will compete in the charity golf tournament in Oro Valley, Ariz.
Mickelson selected Jackson State as his chosen HBCU to raise funds for throughout the event. Barkley chose Tuskegee University and Curry selected Howard University. Manning chose three universities: Grambling State, Southern University at New Orleans and Lane College.
Jackson State President Thomas Hudson took to Twitter to thank Mickelson for his donation, which Hudson called a “significant investment” in the university.
Each hole during Friday’s tournament has a minimum of $100,000, going up to as much as $2,500,000, on select holes, if a golfer sinks a hole-in-one, Jackson State said.
The final donation totals to each of the schools will be announced Monday.
Capital One is also expected to make contributions to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and United Negro College Fund, both of which provide support to HBCUs.
In May, Mickelson and Manning, along with Tiger Woods and football legend Tom Brady, participated in “The Match II,” which raised more than $20 million for COVID-19 relief efforts.
The television event also drew the most viewers for a golf telecast in cable history at 5.8 million.
The 2010 Masters previously held the record, drawing 4.9 million viewers on ESPN.
Source: The Hill
