‘Sky is the limit’: Paine College golfers proud to be part of history

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - It’s been almost two years since Paine College announced it was getting a women’s golf program.

The school and Augusta National says the goal is to get more women and women of color into the sport.

We caught up with the team after doing pretty well in their first tournament.

For Freshman Taya Buxton, coming to Paine College was about more than playing collegiate golf.

“I wanted to make history, and I wanted a challenge,” she said.

Buxton and three other freshmen are a part of Paine College’s first-ever women’s golf team.

“From what we do now, hopefully, it will help other women who want to play golf or others that are getting into it. That’s what the end goal is, and hopefully, we can help change that,” she said.

Buxton is the first Lee Elder Scholarship recipient on the women’s golf team. Picking Paine College was a no-brainer for her.

“Augusta National is top of golf, and this is golf central, so I wanted to be where it was,” she said.

Head Golf Coach Dan Venema said: “Augusta is the birthplace of golf, and I think with an HBCU and Augusta National, it puts us on the map. We’re pretty much making history, and the sky is the limit for the golf program.”

For Lawryn Radford, she’s living out her childhood dream.

“First time I swung a driver, I never looked back,” she said. “I told my parents I wanted to play golf professionally at nine years old, and ever since then, I never looked back, and I’m chasing that dream every day,” said Radford.

It’s about more than winning championships.

“To be a part of that Black women’s history and HBCU history, it’s just a massive step for the Black community and the entire world too,” she said.

It’s also a huge step or expanding women’s golf. They hope this program will only continue to grow.

“To know that we’re leaving that footprint not just here in Augusta, Georgia, but throughout America and the world as well,” said Radford.

Copyright 2022 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.