Not unlike most kids growing up watching NBA basketball, Kendall Jackson loved watching Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and wishing she could emulate the shooting aspect of his game.
The thing is basketball really wasn’t Kendall’s thing. Golf was her sport.
But in a surprising twist, Kendall and her parents found out in 2019 that Howard University was launching a Division I men’s and women’s golf programs, and none other than Curry had made a six-year financial commitment to support both Bison teams. The programs officially launched in 2021, which coincided with Kendall’s freshman year in college.
It was enough to convince the Pearland High School product, who really isn’t a fan of cold weather, to pack up and move more than 1,200 miles from home and her parents, Maurice and Nene Jackson.
“The opportunity to meet Steph, it was an opportunity I could not pass up,” she said. “Then being an only child, I pretty much depended on my parents for everything. So, I wanted to prove to myself that going to college, especially out of state, that I could do it and really take that next step to adulthood.”
Nearly four years later, Kendall has not just taken steps but has leaped into adulthood and the type of golf stardom that has made moving onto professional golf a realistic thing. Kendall is wrapping up her senior year at Howard where she has won six tournament championships and been a part of several fantastic finishes.
Howard golf coach Sam Puryear is beyond proud of Kendall’s growth since she arrived on campus. Kendall was one of four freshmen to initiate the new program in 2021.
“She exemplifies everything that you want in a student-athlete No.1,” Puryear said. “No. 2, she is an incredible representation of the university.
“She is always on time, which means she is early. She is always present. She works incredibly hard, she encourages the other girls, she’s a leader. As far as I’m concerned, if you have a team full of Kendalls, you have a team full of championships.”
She has come a long way since her father decided to introduce her to golf at the age of 6 through Greater Houston’s First Tee program. Maurice, a former football player at Texas Southern University, was already thinking of the personal and professional benefits of his daughter learning the game of golf.
“I work in Corporate America, so I knew there are all kinds of deals being made on the golf course,” Maurice said recently while watching Kendall play during the Women In Golf Foundation Inc’s National Women’s Golf Championship near Houston at the Golf Club at Katy Ranch. “There are a lot of advantages to learning how to play golf. And for a young African American female, I wanted to make sure she knew the corporate side, and not only the corporate side but to play golf and how you can network and how you can advance your career.”
Not long after introducing Kendall to golf, it became clear that she had a lot of ability, but even more importantly, that she loved playing golf. Kendall liked that she could hit the ball far and that she was outdriving the girls she competed against.
My dad was thinking at a young age, that maybe I can get a scholarship because he was a college athlete. I was not thinking that at age six but I just stuck with it. I would say in high school, being the first person to qualify for state definitely showed me the potential I have to not only play at an elite level in high school but to potentially play in college.
Kendall Jackson
Then there are the perks of meeting important people like Curry.
“I feel like with a lot of sports you have to make it to the highest of levels to be around certain people versus golf where all it takes is playing one round of golf with someone you would never meet and suddenly you are lifelong friends,” Kendall said. “Just the amount of doors and connections that opened, I feel like there is no other sport like that.
“You can also play this sport literally until you are 100 years old. Versus football and basketball, you can play this sport forever and make so many connections.”
It also helps that Kendall has experienced a lot of success in golf. As a freshman at Pearland, she became the first golfer at her school to qualify for the 6A State Girls’ Tournament. Earlier this month, she and the Bison competed in the National Women’s Golf Championship in front of family and friends. On the last day, she was playing for the championship, but ended up in second place; her team finished as champions of the tournament.
However, years before these successful moments, Kendall’s parents had made the decision to support their daughter’s dreams at all costs.
“For me, the endgame has always been to support Kendall in whatever she wanted to do,” Maurice said. “So when she bought in and said she felt she could see herself winning at this next level, me and my wife had to look at golf not as an expense, but we had to look at it as an investment. So what we did is start investing in Kendall, from getting her the proper coaching, to getting her the proper equipment. Not only that but getting her a mental coach because golf – you can have the physical ability all you want, but you have to have the mental side of it also.
“So me and wife said, if you buy in, we are going to buy in and we are going to look at golf as an investment and we are going to invest in you.”
Puryear, who spent considerable time researching and watching Kendall before recruiting her, is appreciative of his star player and her parents for investing in their daughter.
“You realize that kids like that you can build a program around,” said Puryear, who is also the author of Diamonds in the Rough. “You want hardworking, self-starters who are motivated and determined players, who also value the academic side. Both of her parents are amazing, she’s got God in her life and the family is a God-fearing family, so it was a total package.”
Kendall, who arrived at Howard on an academic and athletic scholarship, will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management with a minor in Economics. The NCAA could still grant her another year of playing eligibility, but if not, she will return to Houston and begin the process of turning pro.
“Trying to get sponsorships, get people to support,” said Kendall, whose six first-place finishes tie her with Gregory Odom, Jr. for most career wins at Howard, “that’s what it’s going to take to sustain at the next level, is the outside financial support.”
However it all ends up, Kendall has gained one lifelong connection she will cherish and appreciate forever.
“Steph’s support, not even financially, but just checking in with us and seeing how we are doing has meant a lot, whether it’s a Wizards game and I’ve been able to go to a Rockets game. Knowing that as long as I’m there, I’m able to say hi and chat it up with him. He has been absolutely amazing, especially because of the type of person he is. He is extremely busy with his basketball schedule and outside of that and the fact that he takes time to check in with us and make time for us…. Having the opportunity to be that close to him … I remember playing basketball in junior high and could not shoot at all and seeing him in 2015, 2016 and 2017 just watching him on YouTube and hoping one day I could meet him to now I’m having a good relationship with him.“If you had told me that in 8th grade, I would say you are absolutely insane.”
