THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon and welcome to the Ron Green Sr. Media Center.
We are pleased to be here this afternoon to make a special announcement on behalf of the Truist Championship. I'm joined today by Executive Director Adam Sperling and Truist Championship Chairman Johnny Harris. At this time I'll go ahead and turn it over to Adam to share some exciting news.
ADAM SPERLING: Thank you, Laura. Good afternoon everyone and thank you for attending and supporting the Truist Championship. We are here today to honor both the memory of Ron Green, Sr., as well as his son and our good friend, Ron Green, Jr.
Their dedication to covering our sport and golf in the city of Charlotte is second-to-none, and we are excited to recognize that incredible legacy here today.
I'm pleased to announce that the Truist Championship is introducing the annual $10,000 scholarship – the Ron Green Scholarship Fund – to be awarded to a deserving undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who is currently enrolled in the Hussman School of Journalism and Media, with a demonstrated interest in sports communications.
Eligible candidates will submit applications during the first semester this fall, with the Hussman School selecting the recipient. The student who earns the Ron Green Scholarship Fund will be named in early 2027 and honored with a VIP experience at the Truist Championship months later. This will be an annual fund the tournament supports until 2031.
Ron, I never had the opportunity to meet your father, but I've been very blessed to meet his son. And the way you go about your craft, the way you lead your life, and the way you lead others and lend your talent and time and mentorship and fellowship is something that I know I'm not alone when I say is appreciated, respected, and something to be embodied in all of us. I thank you for everything you've done for the game, but even more so for what you've done for our community and me personally, and your family and your lovely wife Tamera, we couldn't be more proud to be associated with you and your father's legacy to support future Ron Greens.
RON GREEN JR.: Thank you very much. I had a great role model. Now should I turn it over to?
THE MODERATOR: That would be wonderful. Mr. Harris, do you have a few words prepared?
JOHNNY HARRIS: I was waiting for Adam to say something so I could start talking, but anyway. Before I really start my formal remarks, I really do want to take a moment and think about with all of you here just how important Ron Green Senior and Junior and their families have been to this course, to this club, this city, and these states as we talked about the game. Nobody, nobody has meant more to sports than those two gentlemen than Ron and Ron Senior. But I think most of all they have always made the experience of knowing them so very, very special. And I personally am deeply, deeply thankful for having known them. And I'm also deeply thankful for turning on the air conditioning unit just now.
But anyway, I also want to say to you, that on behalf of the membership and staff at Quail Hollow, it’s a thrill to be here today as we honor the Green family.
As a proud University of North Carolina alum, this announcement is truly special on a number of levels.
Ron, your dad’s words in the Charlotte Observer were a morning ritual for so many of us in this city, bringing final scores and dramatic finishes to life in the sports section. He was a kind and soft-spoken man, and wrote so eloquently about so many different sports. It was very special when this media center was named after him a few years ago, and I want you, Tamera and the family to know how dearly he is missed.
Like your dad, you have an amazing talent with the written word, Ron. That is such a special and unique skillset, and to think you carried on that same legacy at the Observer and now Global Golf Post, is truly incredible. Your commitment to this tournament, to this club, to our city, has been second-to-none, and goes back further than most in this room might realize.
Quail Hollow has been fortunate to have two head golf professionals in history – the late Scott Davenport, and Jim Hood, who served in that role from our inception in 1960 until 1999. Who knew that Junior’s first affiliation with this club would be working for Mr. Hood as a teenager, shagging balls and doing whatever was asked of him as a part of the outside golf staff.
Ron, out of respect, I won’t mention the years in which that all took place.
That early foundation gave way to the incredible work writing the book on Quail Hollow’s 50th anniversary, and more recently in the partnership with Truist, telling the story of professional golf’s history here at this club.
At Quail Hollow we have a mission statement, established years ago and we say, “greatness has a home.” For those of you that don't remember, one man, Arnold Palmer, stood by the back door as he was leaving the last time he was here and said to me, Just remember, greatness has a home here at Quail Hollow. And don't ever stop.
So with that kind of thought we always take going from good to better to best.
(Applause.)
RON GREEN JR.: Well, I will begin my thank yous thanking Adam and the Truist Championship for this. Thanking the University of North Carolina, where my wife, daughter and I all earned our degrees. Two of them earned 'em much easier than I did. Also, thanking the club and Johnny, what you guys and John 0 Walter Price, Tom DeLozier, so many people have been so nice to me, and the standards you guys have set out here. There's a very real thing to the Quail Hollow way and it shines. And to have this, I mean, when Adam called yesterday, I was shocked. I guess some other people might have been on to it. Also, by the way, I want to thank my family for being here, so many. Jake right there, he also worked out here running carts and all that.
When I was working out here I do remember grabbing your bag a couple times to put on a cart, and it might have come with some beverages attached to it as well.
JOHNNY HARRIS: As long as it weren't broken.
RON GREEN JR.: But I feel lucky to have been attached to this club in so many ways through the years, and being able to tell the story, because it's a great story.
I remember when I wanted a job one summer, and I was trying to figure where I was and my dad said, Why don't you call Jim Hood at Quail Hollow. And I thought, Well that was a step above what I was thinking of. But anyway, it worked out, had a great time here, and met people who I still know from those years.
I just, to see what the tournament has become. I mean, I used to work, there was truly a press tent outside there and I remember standing there I think when Dick Lott had won the second tournament and like, that was cool, I was right there with a real honest to goodness TOUR winner. And to see it grow from what it was to what it is, PGA Championships, Presidents Cup and all that, I just can't thank you enough on behalf of our family for what this means. So we appreciate it.
(Applause.)
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, gentlemen. That's all. Thank you. We'll get the AC started.
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