Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley announced last week that the club would fund the creation of a women’s golf program at Paine College while also awarding two scholarships in the name of next year’s honorary starter Lee Elder.

“Our question was not so much what we can say but what we can do,” Ridley said.

Cameron Champ was paying attention. After tying for 19^th in his Masters debut, Champ decided it was his turn to make a similar impact. Champ’s foundation and Chevron donated $40,000 to fund two golf scholarships at Prairie View A&M University, an HBCU in Prairie View, Texas.

The scholarships will be named after Champ’s late grandfather, Mack Champ.

“When Lee Elder walked on the Augusta grounds, it sent a message, ‘We belong,’” Champ said. “My grandfather had such an incredible influence on my life and always inspired me in many ways. I’m so grateful for Pops introducing me to the game of golf, but also for teaching me that there’s so much more to life than golf. He always stressed the importance of giving back and paying it forward.

“Last week, Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley addressed how access and opportunities are still barriers to the game, and he hit the nail on the head when he said that the time to do more is now,” Champ continued. “That really sparked this idea, and I thought, what better way to honor PaPa Champ than to take up the challenge to do more, right now.”