Pat Oldacre has spent much of his life standing at the intersection of precision, performance, technology, and purpose.

A former PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour tournament referee, Oldacre dedicated 23 years to the PGA Tour, helping shape the modern era of professional golf from behind the scenes and, later, from inside the ropes as a Tournament Rules Official. His journey is one of reinvention, excellence, and quiet trailblazing.

A native of Kingston, Jamaica, raised in New York City, Oldacre’s path to golf was anything but conventional. He graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in petroleum engineering and began his professional career in engineering, commercial sales, and project management. After eight years in that field, he made a bold decision to pursue one of his lifelong loves – the game of golf.

In 2001, after earning a degree in professional golf management, Oldacre joined the PGA Tour. It was there that he became a Managing ShotLink Producer and one of the key contributors to the development and advancement of ShotLink, the groundbreaking scoring and data system that transformed how golf is measured, analyzed, televised, and experienced by fans around the world.

Through ShotLink, Oldacre played an integral role in the overall logistics, operations, data management, and scoring for PGA Tour events. His responsibilities included the management, collection, analysis, and distribution of scoring and statistical data to media outlets, wire services, broadcast partners, and downstream clients across the globe.

The impact of ShotLink cannot be overstated. It revolutionized professional golf by turning raw performance data into powerful storytelling, deeper analysis, enhanced broadcasts, and a richer fan experience. Oldacre helped advance the PGA Tour’s mission of turning data into information, information into knowledge, and knowledge into entertainment.

Over the course of his career, Oldacre traveled the world leading ShotLink and PGA Tour scoring into the 21st century. He also became an ambassador for the game, conducting hundreds of behind the scenes tours, information sessions, television interviews, and briefings with golf organizations around the world. His work helped expand understanding of the technology, logistics, and innovation driving professional golf at the highest level.

In 2019, Oldacre stepped into one of the most respected and demanding roles at any professional golf tournament – Tournament Rules Official.

As a Rules Official for the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour, Oldacre played a hands on role in conducting tournaments, making rulings, overseeing competition procedures, supporting course setup, and managing the administrative and operational details that ensure fair play. The role requires deep knowledge, composure, judgment, and credibility with players, tournament staff, and fellow officials. Oldacre brought all of that and more.

His presence also carried historical significance. As only the second African-American Tournament Rules Official in the PGA Tour’s nearly 100 year history, Oldacre understood the importance of representation in a sport where access and visibility have not always been equal.

“I considered it an honor to be named only the second African-American Rules Official on the PGA Tour in nearly 100 years,” Oldacre said. “It was an opportunity that carried both pride and responsibility. I saw it as an opportunity to help open doors and show kids of color that there’s a place for them in this game at any level. Golf has given me so much, and I want the next generation of Black and brown children to know their possibilities are wide open.”

In 2023, Oldacre was forced into early retirement due to health issues that made it impossible for him to continue performing at the level required for the job he loved. But retirement has not slowed his commitment to golf, mentorship, or service.

Today, Oldacre remains an active member of the North Houston community, where he has lived for more than 15 years. He devotes much of his time to civic organizations, charitable projects, youth mentorship, and helping introduce young people to golf. He is particularly passionate about increasing diversity in the sport and creating pathways for young people of color to see golf not only as a game, but as a place of possibility.

For Oldacre, growing the game means more than teaching young people how to swing a club. It means helping them see the many opportunities that exist across golf, from playing and coaching to technology, operations, media, rules, business, and leadership.

That lifelong commitment has now earned Oldacre a new honor, induction into the African American Golfers Hall of Fame.

“Being inducted into the African American Golfers Hall of Fame is incredibly humbling,” Oldacre said. “I’m grateful to even be mentioned alongside so many people who’ve made a real impact on the game. If I’ve played even a small part in helping move things forward, that means a lot to me and it’s something I’m going to keep working on. Growing the game and making it more inclusive is a passion of mine that’s not going away.”

Oldacre’s story is also deeply rooted in family. He and his wife, Yvette, have built a life centered on love, achievement, and service. Yvette is a Global Business Venture Manager for ExxonMobil and has been with the company for 32 years. Together, they are the proud parents of three sons: Miles, 26, Maddox, 22, and Malachi, 20.

While his professional accomplishments are significant, Oldacre is clear about what matters most. His proudest achievement is raising his three sons, whom he speaks of with deep pride.

His hobbies include sports, golf, coaching, fitness, music, and travel. But even in this next chapter, his purpose remains connected to the game that changed his life.

Pat Oldacre’s career is a reminder that history is often made by those who do the work with excellence, humility, and purpose. From engineering to innovation, from ShotLink to rules officiating, from global tournaments to community mentorship, Oldacre has helped move golf forward.

And for the young people watching, his message is simple: There is room for you here.