COLUMBIA, SC (May 6, 2021) – The South Carolina Education Lottery is pleased to announce an exciting partnership with PGA TOUR player Matthew NeSmith. NeSmith will serve as a Lottery Scholarship Ambassador, representing the more than two million lottery-funded scholarship recipients who stayed in South Carolina to attend college and pursue their dreams.
NeSmith, a North Augusta native, played his collegiate golf at the University of South Carolina and turned pro in 2016. He earned a LIFE scholarship, one of the many scholarships funded with lottery proceeds. And he says that scholarship made all the difference.
“It’s amazing. The LIFE scholarship helped me pay for school and gave me the opportunity to just focus on golf and what I wanted to do as a professional golfer,” NeSmith said.
NeSmith is enjoying a breakout year on tour with two top 10 finishes and has risen to 74th in the FedExCup rankings and 135th in the world headed into this weekend’s Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C. New on his golf bag will be the South Carolina Education Lottery’s logo, a placement that will be a fixture for a year.
“We are thrilled to have Matt as a Lottery Scholarship Ambassador. He is hard working and driven, just like all of the lottery-funded scholarship recipients in our state that he will be representing,” said the Lottery’s Director of Marketing Josh Whiteside. “Matt is an example of what is possible when you dream big. We can’t wait to share his story and his progress on tour over the next year with our players, retailers and beneficiaries.”
“I am grateful and humbled to be able to have the South Carolina Education Lottery on my golf bag,” NeSmith said. “It’s something I’m very proud of as a lottery scholarship recipient. People are going to ask me about it, and I’m going to tell them exactly what we do as a team and where the money goes and the opportunities we give students in South Carolina.”
Since 2002, the Lottery has provided more than $6.4 BILLION for education in South Carolina. Lottery proceeds support higher education, K-12 and community education programs in our state. Playing for fun is a win for education.
NeSmith, a North Augusta native, played his collegiate golf at the University of South Carolina and turned pro in 2016. He earned a LIFE scholarship, one of the many scholarships funded with lottery proceeds. And he says that scholarship made all the difference.
“It’s amazing. The LIFE scholarship helped me pay for school and gave me the opportunity to just focus on golf and what I wanted to do as a professional golfer,” NeSmith said.
NeSmith is enjoying a breakout year on tour with two top 10 finishes and has risen to 74th in the FedExCup rankings and 135th in the world headed into this weekend’s Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C. New on his golf bag will be the South Carolina Education Lottery’s logo, a placement that will be a fixture for a year.
“We are thrilled to have Matt as a Lottery Scholarship Ambassador. He is hard working and driven, just like all of the lottery-funded scholarship recipients in our state that he will be representing,” said the Lottery’s Director of Marketing Josh Whiteside. “Matt is an example of what is possible when you dream big. We can’t wait to share his story and his progress on tour over the next year with our players, retailers and beneficiaries.”
“I am grateful and humbled to be able to have the South Carolina Education Lottery on my golf bag,” NeSmith said. “It’s something I’m very proud of as a lottery scholarship recipient. People are going to ask me about it, and I’m going to tell them exactly what we do as a team and where the money goes and the opportunities we give students in South Carolina.”
Since 2002, the Lottery has provided more than $6.4 BILLION for education in South Carolina. Lottery proceeds support higher education, K-12 and community education programs in our state. Playing for fun is a win for education.
3382