A special limited-time screening of “From The Rough,” an inspiring movie starring Academy Award nominee and D.C. native Taraji P. Henson, will be held at Paragon Theater in Founder’s Row in Falls Church, Va., at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 15, and Thursday, Oct. 16. It is a benefit for Friends of Howard University Golf, a not-for-profit providing support to the Howard University Men’s and Women’s golf teams.
Following Wednesday’s screening, all audience members are invited to stay for a free conversation with the film’s producer Michael Critelli, a pioneering business executive and champion of diversity and inclusion initiatives, and Sam Puryear, Howard University Director of Golf. The conversation will be moderated by WTOP-FM’s award-winning sportscaster Diane Roberts.
First released in 2011, “From the Rough” follows the true story of Catana Starks, the first Black female coach of a university men’s golf team, as she leads the Tennessee State University team to a championship season and teaches them to believe in themselves.
The film’s title, “From the Rough”, comes from the rough terrain outside a golf course’s smooth green space. That “rough” area is hard to maneuver. Starks’ story aligns with that phrase, as she had to overcome many obstacles in getting the young men on the team to trust her and face uphill challenges before achieving victory.
Puryear was a student at Tennessee State University and was coached by Starks. He went on to a career in coaching, first at Stanford University, then as the first African American coach of a Power Five Conference University (Michigan State University), and is now leading the golf program at Howard.
The Howard University golf program has an impressive record, highlighted by the men’s team winning back-to-back NEC Championships in 2024 and 2025. The women’s team has also achieved success, with individual standouts like Kendall Jackson winning the PGA Works Collegiate Championship in 2024 and Paris Fieldings earning NEC Player of the Year in 2025. The program, established in 2020-21, has quickly risen to prominence under Puryear’s leadership.
Tickets for the each screening start at just $15 and are available for purchase online. Paragon Founders Row, is located at 112 Founders Ave., in Falls Church, Va. It provides a state-of-the-art seating and viewing experience that includes in-seat food and drink service.
