At age nine, Notah asked the head pro at the local muni in Albuquerque, N.M. for a job. He worked for free in exchange for the chance to practice and play at the course (“I was a bad negotiator.”). A full-blooded Native American (Navajo, San Felipe, Isleta), he soon became the No. 1-ranked junior player in the country, and earned a golf scholarship to Stanford University, where his team won an NCAA national title, and was a teammate of Tiger Woods. Notah won four times on the PGA Tour, then became a TV commentator for golf tournaments. In 2005, he established the Notah Begay III Foundation, which provides health and wellness education to Native American youth. In 2020, he started the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship (NJGC.org), providing playing opportunities for kids of all abilities. Last year’s champion, Allyn Stephens, has earned an exemption into the 2021 Circling Raven Championship, a Symetra Tour event.

Read the full transcript from Notah’s Pod for the Course interview.

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