Charlie Sifford
| Charlie Sifford | |
|---|---|
| — Golfer — | |
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Charles Sifford |
| Born |
June 2, 1922 Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Nationality |
 United States |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1948 |
| Former tour(s) |
PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 21 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 2 |
| Champions Tour | 1 |
| Best results in Major Championships | |
| Masters Tournament | DNP |
| U.S. Open | T21: 1972 |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
| PGA Championship | T33: 1965 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| World Golf Hall of Fame | 2004 (member page) |
| Old Tom Morris Award | 2007 |
Charles Sifford (born June 2, 1922) is an African American former professional golfer who helped to desegregate the PGA of America.
Sifford was born in Charlotte, North Carolina and currently resides in Shaker Heights, Ohio. He began work as a caddy at the age of thirteen. Later he competed in the golf tournaments that black golfers organized for themselves as they were excluded from the PGA of America, and worked as a personal golf coach for band leader Billy Eckstine. He first attempted to qualify for a PGA Tour event at the 1952 Phoenix Open, using an invitation obtained by former World heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis and was subjected to threats and racial abuse there and at other tournaments. In 1957 he won the Long Beach Open, which was not an official PGA Tour event, but was co-sponsored by the PGA and had some well known white players in the field. He became a member of the Tour in 1961 and went on to win two official money events. He also won the 1975 PGA Seniors' Championship, then the leading tournament for golfers over fifty.
In 2004, Sifford became the first African American inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. He chose fellow Hall of Fame member South African Gary Player to present him for induction. On June 22, 2006, he received an honorary degree from the University of St Andrews as a Doctor of Laws. He also received the 2007 Old Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, GCSAA's highest honor.
In 2009, the Northern Trust Open created an exemption for a player who represents the advancement of diversity in golf; it is named in honor of Sifford and is referred to as the Charlie Sifford Exemption.[1]
In 2011 Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation rename Revolution Golf Course to Charlie Sifford Golf Course.
Professional wins
PGA Tour wins
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 20, 1967 | Greater Hartford Open Invitational | –12(69-70-69-64=272) | 1 stroke | Steve Oppermann |
| 2 | Jan 12, 1969 | Los Angeles Open | –8 (63-71-71-71=276) | Playoff |  Harold Henning |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1969 | Los Angeles Open | Harold Henning |
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
Other wins (11)
- 1952 UGA National Negro Open
- 1953 UGA National Negro Open
- 1954 UGA National Negro Open
- 1955 UGA National Negro Open
- 1956 UGA National Negro Open, Rhode Island Open
- 1957 Long Beach Open
- 1960 UGA National Negro Open, Almaden Open (unofficial win - one year prior to becoming a PGA Tour event)
- 1963 Puerto Rico Open
- 1971 Sea Pines
Senior PGA Tour wins
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nov 16, 1980 | Suntree Classic | –9 (70-71-71-67=279) | 4 strokes | Don January |
Other senior wins (7)
- 1975 PGA Seniors' Championship - (5 years prior to becoming a Champions Tour event; event is now a Champions Tour major)
- 1988 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Roberto DeVicenzo)
- 1989 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Roberto DeVicenzo)
- 1991 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Legendary Division (with Roberto DeVicenzo)
- 1998 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Joe Jimenez)
- 1999 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Joe Jimenez)
- 2000 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Joe Jimenez)
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1959 | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open | T32 | T46 | DNP | T43 | DNP | 27 | CUT | DNP | DNP | T32 | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T33 | DNP | DNP | T59 | CUT |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Open | DNP | T49 | T21 | CUT | 60 | CUT | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T48 | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | CUT |
Note: Sifford never played in the Masters Tournament nor The Open Championship.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10
References
- ↑ Oregon State Beavers Graduate Receives the First Sifford Exemption ESPN.com, February 2, 2009
- Sifford breaks golf HOF's color barrier
- Charlie Sifford (Great Athletes) ISBN 1-883846-27-7
- Just Let Me Play: The Story of Charlie Sifford, the First Black PGA Golfer (1992) ISBN 0-945167-44-X
- The Wicked Game: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and the Story of Modern Golf (2004) by Howard Sounes. ISBN 0-06-051386-1
External links
- Charlie Sifford at the PGA Tour official site
- Profile at World Golf Hall of Fame
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