RJ McCoy on fairway to success

RoVaughn “RJ” McCoy Jr., a freshman at the University of Missouri and an Evans Scholar, is certainly on the course for future success.

A gifted student and avid golfer, McCoy also has been a caddie at two of the St. Louis area’s top country clubs.

The Evans Scholars national program, which provides full tuition and housing college scholarships to high-achieving golf caddies with limited financial means, was a beneficiary of the BMW Championship held last week at Bellerive Country Club.

McCoy served as a caddie during Wednesday’s Gardner Heidrick Pro-Am tournament held on Wednesday, and to his surprise and joy, he served as a caddie for St. Louis Cardinals great and Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith.

“It was the highlight of my caddie experiences,” McCoy said during a telephone interview as he was moving into a dormitory at Mizzou.

“It was an honor to caddie for a St. Louis legend. It was just great. You can always tell a genuine person, and Ozzie is just that. He even gave me his telephone number and said to call if I should need anything.”

McCoy graduated from Saint Mary’s Catholic High School and caddied at Sunset Country Club for two years before moving to Algonquin Country Club in Webster Groves last year.

A National Honor Society member and honor roll student, he served as captain of his high school golf team. He plans to major in business and finance and is already a budding entrepreneur who has a golf apparel brand, RJ Golf Legacy.

He credits his parents, RoVaughn McCoy Sr. and Tiquila Collins-McCoy, for introducing him to golf at age 6, when he began taking lessons with First Tee.

His mom suggested that he pursue being a caddie because “she was always looking for opportunities for me.”

McCoy went on to become a junior assistant coach and head coach with First Tee and said golf has taught him valuable lessons.

“With golf, just like in life, there is no one else to blame except yourself when things aren’t going well,” he said.

“Sometimes, you think you made the right decision, and it just doesn’t turn out right. Then it depends on how you come back. It’s what you do next that counts.”

With Tiger Woods battling personal and health demons that have taken him from the PGA Tour, already low Black representation at professional golf’s highest level is even more obvious.

An Aug. 13 Andscape/ESPN article by Michael Williams detailed that no Black golfers participated in the four men’s major tournaments — the Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open and The Open Championship — nor the FedExCup Playoffs, which included the BMW Championship.

“There were no [Black] players that qualified and there are a very limited number of players in total that are eligible: Tiger Woods, Joseph Bramlett, Cameron Champ, Harold Varner and Tim O’Neal,” said James Beatty, editor of the African American Golfer’s Digest and executive director of the African American Golf Expo.

“Tiger is limited physically and realistically can’t play, Varner is on the LIV Tour and Tim is focused on the Champions Tour. The field is embarrassingly low.”

Mike Whan, CEO of the United States Golf Association, said there are increased opportunities to help young Black golfers learn the game and then progress into tournament play.

The U.S. National Development Program grant for elite juniors allocates half its funds to athletes of color. The Grassroots Grant program offers significant dollars to programs that cater to underrepresented golfers.

“Perhaps even more exciting is that so many other programs exist for young athletes of color to truly pursue the game — PGA Tour Pathway to Progression, Underrated Tour, Charlie Sifford Golf Academy, PGA Jr. Leagues, Tee Divas and others,” Whan said.

McCoy said he is going to play club golf at Missouri, continue being a caddie, and coach young boys and girls.

“I love playing golf. I’m just so glad I got to learn it,” he said.

The Reid Roundup

Jordan Walker, who slumped briefly following the All-Star Break and his Home Run Derby triumph, has caught fire again. Walker hit thee home runs last week and returned home Monday with a .289 batting average, 27 home runs and 96 RBIs. He had hit just 27 home runs during his entire career before the 2026 season…Missouri coach Dennis Gates and the Missouri Tigers will visit SLU for a game on Nov. 6 at Enterprise Center. My guy Earl Austin Jr. is certainly giddy.

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