Burrell grad Tiger Hubbard polishing game on tour geared toward minority golfers

“Can you hold on a second?”

Tiger Hubbard politely asks for a pause in mid-interview and sets aside his phone. There is silence for a few seconds until the faint swat of a cleanly struck golf shot is heard.

“OK, I’m good now.”

Anyone who knows the Burrell grad isn’t surprised by this scene. Self-described as having a club in his hand all his life, Hubbard played in his first tournament at age 4. He went on to win three section titles for the Bucs and played in the PIAA tournament as a senior.

A rising junior at Coastal Carolina in Conway, S.C., Hubbard chose the school not to play on its golf team but because it was in a state where he could golf year-round, and he could have the convenience of CCU’s Hackler Golf Course to work on his game.

That has helped him enter the next phase of his journey. He recently turned pro and is competing on two mini tours: the Coastal Players Tour, which plays events around the Carolinas, and the Advocates Pro Golf Association Tour.

Hubbard remains in South Carolina, working in the kitchen at a restaurant in nearby Myrtle Beach during the day then hitting the golf course. He recently connected with a mental coach and is receiving swing instruction from Allen Terrell, who tutors two-time major champion and recent world No. 1 Dustin Johnson.

“We’ve been working a lot on my setup,” Hubbard said. “The setup was leading to some issues with my swing, especially at the top of my swing.”

Playing on the APGA has offered Hubbard a unique experience. Founded in 2010, the tour is geared toward providing professional playing opportunities for minorities, and because of the APGA’s connections with the PGA Tour’s TPC network, its players compete on big-time courses.

In May, Hubbard played an APGA event at Valhalla Golf Club, site of three PGA Championships — it will host a fourth in 2024 — and the 2008 Ryder Cup. On July 19-20, he will compete at TPC Deere Run, which is hosting the John Deere Classic this week.

The APGA’s notable graduates include current PGA Tour players Tony Finau, Harold Varner III and Joseph Bramlett. Willie Mack III, a current APGA player, made his first cut on the PGA Tour at last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic while playing on a sponsor’s exemption.

Hubbard, who began playing APGA events as an amateur while still at Burrell, said the APGA Tour has been eye-opening and confidence-boosting.

“One thing I realized was there isn’t much of a gap between these and other pros,” he said. “The competition has just opened me to experience visually how they play and see what it takes to reach the (top) level. … One of the hardest things for a lot of players is just getting their names out there.”

Hubbard has struggled with his results in the three APGA events he has played this season, but he attributes that to adjusting to the new swing. While his iron play has been consistent, he said, his driving remains a work in progress as he grows accustomed to the changes Terrell is trying to implement.

His best effort was 78-79 at TPC Louisiana — site of the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans — which tied him for 40th in the 51-man field.

But at this point, Hubbard isn’t overly concerned with results. His focus is on building toward a run at the PGA Tour. Hubbard turned 20 in April, and with many PGA Tour players not debuting until their mid- to late-20s — the average age of this season’s rookie class is 25 — he feels no pressure to get there quickly.

Hubbard said he will continue working on his game and soaking up all the opportunities the APGA is offering.

“I haven’t really set a timetable,” he said. “Whenever I reach the point where I feel like I could compete well on the PGA, it will be really nice to start going at it.

“I really have enjoyed playing with the Advocates. It feels similar to a family. We’re competing against each other, but we’re all hoping we can get to the next level. … It definitely shows players from (the APGA) really can make it if they keep working at it.”