Amari Avery has been carrying a heavy thought since elementary school—one that still leaves her stunned today. "It's honestly just shocking to think about," she says, reflecting on a startling fact: no Black player has ever won on the LPGA Tour. Two weeks ago, Avery made history by becoming only the third Black player to win on the Epson Tour, the LPGA's developmental circuit, but that milestone only sharpens the larger question.
"I think that's a lot to put on someone's shoulders," Avery explains. "I've been hearing it my entire life. I know a bunch of Black golfers, men and women, especially women, and they've all felt the extra weight on their shoulders. I think maybe that could be contributing to why we haven't seen a Black golfer win on tour before."
At just 22 years old, Avery is already rewriting the narrative. Last Thursday, she received a sponsor exemption to compete in this week's LPGA Mizuho Americas Open—a testament to her red-hot form. She currently leads the Epson Tour's Race for the Card points list after finishing 1-2 in her last two events and tops the money list with $77,572. It's a far cry from where she thought she'd be five years ago.
Back then, a 17-year-old Avery teed it up at Mountain Ridge Country Club in West Caldwell, New Jersey, playing on a sponsor exemption at the LPGA Founders Cup. She assumed she'd be on the LPGA the following year; college wasn't part of the plan. Now, she's grateful for the unexpected detour—the one that gave her a piece of history. "I think I always knew it was going to happen in due time," she says of that maiden win, which came not far from her California home.
Avery first captured the national spotlight in 2013 as a star of the Netflix documentary The Short Game. Her dad nicknamed her "Tigress," and her personal website once listed all the ways she mirrors her hero, Tiger Woods. Both were born on Dec. 30 in Orange County, California. Both are African-American and Asian (Avery's mother is Filipino). Both recorded their first ace at Heart Well Golf Course and claimed their first big title at the Junior World Championship—Avery at age 6, Tiger at 8.
After a standout two-and-a-half years at USC, where she won five times, Avery turned professional and joined the Epson Tour. Now, with momentum on her side and history in her sights, she's ready to carry that weight—and maybe, just maybe, change the game.