In honor of Black History Month, take a moment to get to learn about a Black golf pioneer. According to Yahoo Sports, Charlie Sifford, the first black man to play on the PGA Tour, passed away Tuesday. He was 92.
A pioneer in golf, Sifford earned a place among golf’s elite players after he challenged the PGA’s Caucasian-only clause, leading to its desegregation in 1961. He won twice in his PGA Tour career, including the 1967 Greater Hartford Open and 1969 Los Angeles Open. He won two senior titles, including the 1975 Senior PGA Championship, five years before the formation of what is now the Champions Tour.
Sifford had recently suffered a stroke and was battling a bacterial infection in a Cleveland hospital.
Sifford was born June 22, 1922 in Charlotte, N.C., and was introduced to golf while working as a caddie. After turning pro, he won five consecutive national titles in the all-black United Golfers Association. Sifford wanted to take on the best players competing on the PGA.
More on this story here:
