C
harles L. “Charlie” Sifford, a former
caddie who overcame a plethora of
obstacles a half-century earlier to
earn his rightful place in golf history, died
Feb. 3 in Shaker Heights, Ohio, at the age
of 92.
Sifford was the first person of color to
compete in PGA-sanctioned events following
the 1961 abolishment of the “Caucasianonly” PGA of America membership clause.
Throughout the world of golf, he was often
compared to baseball’s Jackie Robinson, and
he went on to win two PGA Tour events,
the 1967 Greater Hartford Open and 1969
Los Angeles Open, as well as the 1975
PGA Senior’s Championship. Sifford also
competed in 19 USGA championships,
including 12 U.S. Opens and the inaugural
U.S. Senior Open in 1980 at Winged Foot
Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y., where he
finished fourth.
Born on June 2, 1922, in Charlotte,
N.C., Sifford became interested in golf as a
boy. While he made a living through caddying,
he also had the opportunity to hone his golf
skills. By age 13, he was playing par golf.
However, his advancement was
REMEMBRANCE
limited by race discrimination in the Jim
Crow era. Even though Sifford made
significant strides in his career, he continued
to be a target of harassment and death
threats prior to and following the retraction
of the “Caucasian-only” clause.
Sifford honed his game in the United
Golfers Association, a tournament circuit
established in the mid-1920s by black golfers
that allowed golfers of all races to compete.
He won the UGA’s biggest event, the
National Negro Open, six times, including
five consecutive years from 1952 to 1956.
In November, Sifford was among 18
Americans to receive the Presidential Medal
of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian
honor, from President Barack Obama at the
White House.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom
“felt different than anything else,” said
Sifford, referring to his 2004 induction
into the World Golf Hall of Fame and the
honorary doctorate he received from the
University of St. Andrews, Scotland, in
2006. “They say what I did helped African
Americans, but it went further.”
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Above: Charlie Sifford (right) with fellow competitors
Eural Clark (left) and Ted Rhodes (center) at the 1952
Phoenix Open.
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