Golf Channel show honors Stills' impact

Adrian Stills has a special place in golf history, former Woodham coach Michael Smith is helping youth athletes with special instruction, and the Civic Center can still create a hockey game, if a team should come.

Golf Channel salutes Stills1.

All these years, his place in history escaped Adrian Stills.

Fortunately, being part of a documentary reminded him.

Stills, 51, a Pensacola native and Catholic High graduate who now is head golf pro at Osceola Municipal Golf Course, is part of a program entitled "Uneven Fairways'' airing on The Golf Channel. The documentary delves into the former Negro Golf Leagues and the struggles of black golfers to gain access to courses and professional tournaments.

The next replay is at 8 p.m. Saturday, then again at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 28.

Stills is profiled for his status as the last black golfer to qualify for the PGA Tour through the grueling Tour qualifying tournament. He did it 1985.

Others have come close. But no one else has made it. Tiger Woods, of course, never qualified. He earned PGA Tour status in 1996 by winning the Las Vegas Invitational, which jump-started his amazing career.

Stills went the hardest route.

"Until it was brought to my attention when they asked me to be part of the show, I had no idea I am still the last African-American to do it,'' said Stills, who played a full season in 1986 on the PGA Tour. "It's really special. I cherish all the players from that era and beyond like Lee Elder and Charlie Sifford, who overcame so much before me."