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Southern Company Celebrates Women

in Golf Excel at the
fundamentals
Published March 27, 2020
By Laura Osnard

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As Women’s History Month comes to a close, Southern Company reflects on the greats who set the
tone for golf in the past and present and pave the way for the future. Women’s golf has made many
major construction
strides over the last 70 years and there are many instrumental figures to the sport’s progression.
Today we celebrate TOUR Championship Executive Director, Allison Fillmore, and Golf Women Mean
Business’s Founder and CEO, Patrina King. Both women are valued partners of Southern Company in Support the building of
our support of golf and the values it instills in people. national energy policy
Fillmore is the first female executive director of
the TOUR championship but that wasn’t her first
time being a “first.” Prior to her position with the Promote energy
PGA Tour’s season finale, Fillmore was the vice innovation
president of sales for Atlanta Motor Speedway.
She was the first female head of sales for the
entire system at Speedway Motor Sports, which
includes Atlanta Motor Speedway. Fillmore says Value and develop
she thrives on the challenges presented to her as our people
a first female in various positions she has held.

“I was taught at a young age by both my mother

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and my father that I can do anything I set my
mind to whether it be a job or something in my
personal life,” Fillmore said. “I live by that every
day and am trying to instill the same motivation
in my two daughters.”

Her work with Southern Company spans more than a decade as she assists in integrating the game of
golf with the Atlanta sports community. Her connection to Southern Company goes back to 2005
while she was working with Chris Womack, the company’s executive vice president of and president
of external affairs.

“It is amazing to watch their commitment to organizations like the First Tee and the East Lake
Foundation which use golf to bring a community together and thrive,” Fillmore remarked.

She actively seeks out women’s organizations to spotlight and promote to introduce more women to
the game of golf. Golf has long been a part of the business landscape, but the addition of women is a
fairly new concept. Women’s Golf Day in Georgia is typically a great way to get more women
involved, but there’s still more work to be done. Fillmore acknowledges organizations such as Golf
Women Mean Business and Tiffany Fitzegerald’s Black Girls Golf for trailblazing a way within the
community and creating great impact.

Fillmore’s work not only has shown that women are welcome in the sports world, but that they can
also run the events. She consistently reaches out to young women to advise and mentor them. One of
her biggest goals is to encourage women to fight for themselves in roles like hers.

Fillmore’s message to women is one of perseverance. “You must have grit and determination to be
successful,” she said. “Apply for the role, even if you don’t have every piece of experience necessary.”

For women who want to enter the game of golf she recommends making it fun. This could mean
going to Topgolf with some friends, going to the driving range or taking lessons. She maintains that
no one must be a rockstar the moment they pick up a club but that it’s necessary to have fun.

Teaching a group of women who have never played golf the basic mechanics makes the game easier
and puts everyone on equal footing. Someone who understands this concept well is Patrina King.

Patrina King founded Golf Women Mean Business (GWMB) in 2014. Its primary goal is to educate and
equip professional women to play the game of golf so they can use it to leverage their careers and
organizations. The organization targets women who have never played golf in order to teach them
the rules, etiquette, scoring concept and terminology of the game. GWMB hosts golf clinics as
networking events for professional women and use golf as an inclusive team-building tool during
 conferences. “Everyone always ends up having
way more fun than they expect and the women
tend to want to learn more and continue playing
the sport,” King said.

The work King has started has had an amazing

impact on Atlanta and the surrounding
communities. Regardless of skill, women
everywhere have connected with one another
and have started doing business with each other.
“The Southern Company system has helped make
it ‘ok’ for women in Georgia to consider taking up
golf for reasons other than competing; like
connecting with colleagues and clients, team
building, exercise, and more,” King remarked.

For women who would like to learn how to play golf, King imparts that commitment is key.
Committing a time to learn as a part of one’s day, committing to an instructor who best matches
one’s personality, and committing to keeping company with like-minded individuals on the golf
course all contribute to the creation of a more fruitful player.

From a professional aspect, King advises that women should approach their work confidently without
acting as if they have something to prove to their male counterparts about their worthiness. She
cautions against those who like to pick out “imposters” and recommends that conversations should
be about goals and expertise.

Both Fillmore and King are prime examples of the meaning behind Women’s History Month. They use
their progress to extend a hand backwards to help and instruct others. They constantly seek out
opportunities to enrich their communities and promote sportsmanship.

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Last Modified on 03/27/2020 15:52:00 | Page Contact: Darryl Bennett: 8-506-0645 SO Today | Highlights