Susquehannock graduate, Howard golfer Kendel Abrams shared the links with Steph Curry
GLEN ROCK, Pa. — Pennsylvania has a great golf culture – home to many historic courses and legendary golfers (Arnold Palmer, anyone?) – and York County is no exception. One of the best golfers to come out of York County in recent years is Kendel Abrams, a Susquehannock graduate who is about to begin her junior year at Howard University. Anyone who has met Kendel knows she is passionate about golf and a hard worker. When you combine that with an abundance of natural talent, you have a recipe for success.
Kendel began playing golf when she was 8 years old, and the first course she conquered was Forest Park in the greater Baltimore area. She first played Bon Air Country Club, located in Glen Rock, in her early teens and won her first women鈥檚 club championship there at the age of 17. She went on to win the club championship three years in a row, and she also has some York County Junior Golf Association (YCJGA) wins under her belt as well.
After graduating from Susquehannock, Kendel went on to attend Converse University in Spartanburg, South Carolina, for her freshman and sophomore years. Her first season on the women鈥檚 golf team there saw the squad have multiple top 5s and top 10s at various tournaments, and the team finished well in their conference. The group also set a team scoring record at a tournament in Myrtle Beach her freshman season. Sadly, the emergence of COVID-19 led to the cancellation of Kendel鈥檚 second season at Converse.
During the shutdown due to the pandemic, Kendel was contacted by coach Samuel G. Puryear, who had recently joined Howard University in Washington D.C. as the head coach of both the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 NCAA Division I golf programs. Coach Sam is an accomplished golfer and coach with a career spanning decades across different colleges, including Stanford. He asked if she would consider playing for the Howard women鈥檚 team, which was in its infancy as a new golf program. It was a tough choice for Kendel; she had made friends and connections at Converse, and had already put in two years at the school, but she really wanted to play for Coach Sam at Howard. Ultimately, she made the switch and signed to play for Howard in early June 2020. Coach Sam continued to recruit through the first half of the summer to build out the team.
With the program being so new, Howard鈥檚 first full women鈥檚 golf season will be 2021-2022, after a partial spring 2021 season. The Division I program was initiated and supported by a generous donation from Steph Curry, the prominent NBA player for the Golden State Warriors. Curry – a very avid golfer himself – has committed to supporting the program for the next six years, and his gracious endorsement allowed Howard to move up a division in the NCAA. Kendel got the opportunity to meet Curry on June 27 at a fundraiser dinner and was able to play golf with him the very next day.
Practice for the upcoming season starts August 16; some of Howard鈥檚 home courses in the D.C. area include Enterprise, Argyle Country Club, and East Potomac. Being a member of a Division I golf team provides access to elite courses and facilities, as well as a plethora of other opportunities.
Off the course, Kendel has a lot going on; this summer, she is working in Carlsbad, California, as a marketing and sales intern for Callaway Golf, a premier golf equipment manufacturer. Using PowerBI, she has been able to develop a dashboard that tracks sales growth and other data in a precise fashion. Her major at Howard is marketing, and if a professional playing career does not ensue after graduation, she hopes to secure a position in that field at a golf establishment or company like Callaway.
When asked what her future aspirations are – both at Howard and beyond – Kendel said that she would love to win a tournament or conference in the next two years. After her collegiate career, she wants to begin training to join the Symetra Tour, which is the official developmental tour for the LPGA. To get on the tour, Kendel would either need to pass through a qualifying event, or get a sponsor exemption. Kendel explained that sponsored tournament invitations are important on tour, as it showcases that you have the financial backing to be a serious contender.
But for now, Kendel is just trying to take everything one day at a time. As a Susquehannock graduate and York County native, all SYC eyes are on Kendel as she gears up for her Division I debut at Howard.
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