Charlie Sifford, first black on the PGA Tour, dead at 92
Sifford challenged the Caucasian-only clause and the PGA rescinded it in 1961. He won the Greater Hartford Open in 1967 and the Los Angeles Open in 1969.
BY HANK GOLA
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Published: Wednesday, February 4, 2015, 11:33 AM
Updated: Wednesday, February 4, 2015, 2:41 PM
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MARK DUNCAN/APCharlie Sifford, who fought the Caucasian-only clause on the PGA Tour and became its first black member, died Monday night. He was 92.
LA JOLLA, Calif — Charlie Sifford, the man who blazed the trail for Tiger Woods and every other minority in golf, died Tuesday night. Sifford, the first African American to play on the PGA Tour, was 92.
"Terrible loss for golf and me personally," Woods tweeted from Torrey Pines, where he played in the Farmers Insurance Open Pro Am Wednesday. "My grandfather is gone and we all lost a brave, decent and honorable man. I'll miss u Charlie."
Just this past November, Sifford received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama, joining Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus as the only golfers to receive the honor.
Obama issued a statement on Sifford's death.
"Michelle and I offer our condolences on the passing of golf legend Charlie Sifford," Obama said. "Charlie was the first African-American to earn a PGA tour card — often facing indignity and injustice even as he faced the competition.
ANONYMOUS/APCharlie Sifford, who died Monday night at 92, won the Los Angeles Open in 1969.
"Though his best golf was already behind him, he proved that he belonged, winning twice on tour and blazing a trail for future generations of athletes in America. I was honored to award Charlie the Presidential Medal of Freedom last year — for altering the course of the sport and the country he loved. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, his friends, and his fans."
Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1994, Sifford challenged the PGA's Caucasian-only close and saw it rescinded in 1961. Six years later, he became the first black player to win a PGA Tour event at the 1967 Hartford Open and followed that up with a victory at the 1969 Los Angeles Open. He won the Senior PGA Championship in 1975.
But while Sifford fought through those barriers, he was never invited to the Masters as the Augusta National Golf Club deftly kept changing its criteria. He watched on TV from his home in Humble, Texas, when Woods made history by winning the 1997 Masters.
"I never will set foot inside that place either," Sifford said at the time."When I won a tournament, they changed the rules for who was eligible. Same thing when I won another tournament. They had a group of people in charge who didn't see where it was beneficial to let blacks play. From the very first, I had to be better and tougher than other players, so I kept bothering them and bothering them about it. Finally, when Lee Elder won a tournament in 1974, he was in."
