Pine Hills native became the first black world golf champion on the long road

ORLANDO, Florida. Pine Hills native Maurice Allen spends a lot of time on the golf course.

“The solution to many problems. For me, this is an opportunity to really challenge myself. Every day I go out with a purpose, connect with my body, find out what I did wrong yesterday, ”Allen said. “I was introduced to golf by my father when I was a child.”

It wasn’t until Allen graduated from FAMU and became a chiropractor that he became a full-time professional.

Allen and his father on the golf course. (Copyright 2023 WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.)

This decision was not without problems, as he was black in a predominantly white sport.

“I always knew that I belonged because I was good enough. There were many times when I felt uncomfortable. There were times when I can say that I was not given my due,” Allen said. “Ironically, the first competition I went to was in North Florida… It’s not traditionally a very progressive place, but there I was greeted with one of the warmest welcomes of my life. When I went beyond that, competing in Augusta and a couple of backwater places in the US, and got to the point where I got death threats, so my path in golf was interesting.”

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In 2018, Allen will become the first African-American long road world champion, having been world number one in the long road golf event twice.

The Long Ride is like a home run derby in baseball or a slam dunk in basketball. This is how far you can hit the golf ball off the target. It’s the most famous part of the game and they’ve created a sport out of it,” Allen said.

According to Allen, Allen’s longest run is 459 yards and he has a long track record of winning with 45 wins and 110 top-ten finishes, winning on every continent except Africa.

Allen is the first African American to be a long-distance world champion. (Copyright 2023 WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.)

“I saw a lot of things happen to me just because I was the only black man in the sport and I was successful. I think it was a combination of seeing something different and the success I had that made people really show their insecurities and the easiest way they could do that was based on my ethnicity. It had nothing to do with how I played or what I said,” Allen said.

So why are there so few minorities in golf? Allen said golf can be seen as a high-end sport, with expensive clubs and fees to practice on a good course, which has historically been restricted to certain groups based on social class.

“It was a game made for kings and queens, not commoners. If you look at the minorities, we’ve always been under a common label… does that mean we can’t enjoy it,” Allen said.

Through community programs such as the Orlando Minority Youth Golf Association, Allen introduces golf to underprivileged youth as well as life skills and self-confidence.

“I’m more proud of the impact I’ve had on the lives of the people I’ve encountered than of the trophies and rings. It’s really about how many lives you can change. This is what means more to me than anything else,” Allen said. “I think the game of golf has grown in diversity by leaps and bounds right now, and I really hope that in the future it’s an acceptance of minorities in the game.”

Allen is gearing up for another season of Long Drive competition.

Maurice Allen is involved in several community organizations that introduce young people to the game of golf. (Copyright 2023 WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.)

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