Happy Indigenous People’s Day! TGA of Northern Nassau County celebrates diversity. Below, we have highlighted some notable Indigenous athletes in Pickleball, Tennis, and Golf.
Notah Begay III
Begay is of the Navajo, San Felipe, and Isleta people. He is one of the few Native American golfers to have played on the PGA Tour. He attended Stanford University, playing alongside Tiger Woods, and was a three-time All-American. In his professional career, Notah Begay III has four PGA Tour wins and has been featured in the top 20 of the Official World Golf Rankings. He was also known for his unique putting style: right-handed and left-handed, depending on the break. Since 2013, Begay has been an analyst with the Golf Channel and NBC Sports.
Evonne Goolagong Cawley
Evonne Fay Goolagong Cawley (1951–) was one of the greatest sportswomen in Australian sporting history and is considered the top woman tennis player in the world on the Women’s Tennis Association Tour in 1971 and 1976. Belonging through her father’s side to the Wiradjuri people, she achieved distinction at a time when it was still exceptionally difficult for Indigenous Australians of either gender to enter sport at a national or international level. She won seven Grand Slam singles tennis titles – the French Open (1971), Wimbledon (1971, 1980) and the Australian Open (1974, 1975, 1976, 1977) – defeating Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Margaret Court, among others. Evonne Goolagong Cawley was one of the first Indigenous women to achieve national prominence and international success in Australian sport. After her tennis career, she became active in promoting sport within Indigenous communities.
Pete Peterson
Originally a Tennis Pro, He’s won an over-35 world title and even coached an eventual Wimbledon doubles champion. Pete Cofounded the Serving Love Foundation, he was able to combine his passion for racquet sports with an underserved community. With Oklahoma steeped in Native American culture — it has more than three dozen federally recognized tribes, third-most of any state behind Alaska and California — Peterson is hoping that the tournament is a launching pad for other reservations across the country. There will also be a fundraising tournament that includes non-Natives held in conjunction with the Native American bracket.
