Since its debut in 2022, the SAS Championship HBCU Invitational has been an integral part of the annual PGA Tour Champions Tournament. Teams from leading Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) come to Cary to compete alongside the legends of the PGA TOUR Champions at Prestonwood.

“SAS has always been committed to education equity initiatives that promote learning for all and build a global community of innovators. We are dedicated to helping to create a pipeline of future talent, representing a diverse population. With the widening skills gap in STEM-related areas, companies struggle to find qualified, diverse candidates for technical roles,” said Danielle Pavliv, SAS Chief Diversity Officer. “We are dedicated to creating a pipeline of future talent that represents the diversity of our world through outreach, targeted recruitment and programs like the HBCU Invitational.

The SAS Championship, a PGA Tour Champions event in its 23rd year in 2023, in collaboration with the PGA Tour and the Black College Golf Coaches Association, created the HBCU Invitational in 2022. The inaugural edition was the first event of its kind to have student-athletes from HBCU schools compete at the same time and location as the pros from the PGA TOUR Champions. Fans could watch both events simultaneously and the weekend culminated with the HBCU Champions taking photos with 2022 SAS Champion, Fred Couples.

The 2023 field grew, with 16 teams from 13 schools competing in the second year. Howard and Florida A&M defended their crowns, winning the women’s division and men’s Division I field, respectively, while Johnson C. Smith claimed the title in the men’s Division II flight.

“We’re excited to return to the SAS Championship HBCU Invitational and continue to watch it grow,” said Miles head coach and President of the Black College Golf Coaches Association Leonard Smoot. “This is a great opportunity for our student-athletes to compete in a professional setting along with allowing them to learn more about opportunities after golf.”

Tournament play starts on Saturday, with competitors playing a pair of rounds on the Fairways Course at Prestonwood Country Club, which also hosts the SAS Championship. Competition will close on Sunday of tournament week with a third round followed by the crowning of the men’s and women’s Division I and Division II team champions as well as individual champions.

In advance of the competition on the course, analytics giant SAS will host a Career Day on SAS Campus on Friday. The student-athletes will tour the expansive SAS Campus, and participate in a series of panel discussions, seminars and lunch with SAS HBCU Alumni employees designed to help prepare the student-athletes for their careers after golf. The student-athletes will also have a chance to meet both their fellow competitors and the pros from the PGA Tour Champions during the Champions Cookout, which will take place on Saturday following the first two rounds of play.

More information on the 2024 edition, including the final field, will be released later this year.