Dr. Charles Sifford

Charles Sifford was born on June 2, 1922, in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was exposed to golf from the courses of North Carolina, where Sifford worked as a caddie. He earned 60 cents a day on the courses, nearly of all of which went to his mom to help keep the household going. Sifford was a quick learner. By the age of 13, he could shoot par. He realized then that he wanted to make golf his full-time job. He also realized that he wanted the impossible: the chance to play in golf's biggest tournaments against its best players.

As a young golfer, Sifford earned a living coaching. He also played, picking up impressive victories at non-PGA events. He dominated the Negro National Open, winning the title six times in the 1950s. It helped that he had the encouragement and friendship of some of sports' most prominent black athletes, including Jackie Robinson, who'd broken baseball's color barrier in 1947. The same year he broke into the major leagues, Robinson counseled Sifford on his quest to make it on the PGA tour. "He asked me if I was a quitter," Sifford later recounted. "He said, 'OK, if you're not a quitter, go ahead and take the challenge. If you're a quitter, there's going to be a lot of obstacles you're going to have to go through to be successful in what you're trying to do.' I made up my mind I was going to do it. "

Meanwhile, as the Civil Rights era started to take shape, pressure was mounting on the PGA to strip out its offensive "Caucasian Only" membership clause from its bylaws. The first major hurdle was crossed in 1948, when African American golfers Bill Spider and Teddy Rhodes finished with good enough scores at the Los Angeles Open to earn automatic entry into the PGA-sponsored Richmond Open in California. But tour officials blocked their entry. They also did some legal side-stepping by getting sponsors to agree to label their tournaments "Open Invitationals" in order not to invite black players to compete in the events.

Yet, for Sifford some important groundwork had been laid. In 1957, he made history when he not only qualified for the Long Beach Open, but won it, making him the first the African-American golfer to beat white players in a PGA co-sponsored tournament. In 1961, he broke further ground when, under pressure from the California attorney general, the PGA permitted Sifford full membership on the tour.

In 1967, Sifford made history again when he won the Greater Hartford Open, the first fully sanctioned PGA event ever won by an African American. Two years later, he took home the top score at the 1969 Los Angeles Open. The excitement for everyone, both black and white, around Sifford's wins was profound. "Charlie Sifford, Negro, 46, father of two, his own golf teacher, a short little man with a mustache, was a curious hero in a country-club sport," wrote Sports Illustrated after the L.A. Open. "A black lady journalist raced onto the green and kissed him. Don Newcombe, the ex-Dodger pitcher, ran out and grabbed his hand. And huge, happy swarms of Charlie's fans, all colors, surrounded him, tearfully delirious. Black guys who can't play the game whooped, and white guys who've never seen a country club whooped."

Sifford competed in about 422 PGA tournaments; coming in second twice, registering five third-place finishes, and winning nearly $350,000 in prize money. On the senior circuit he was equally successful, winning the 1975 Seniors' Championship and collecting $930,000 in winnings.

More importantly, he helped pave the way for future African American golfers including Lee Elder, the first African American to play the Masters in 1975, and Tiger Woods. "He took the punishment, the ridicule and he still persevered," Earl Woods, Tiger's dad, once said. "For that, he should always be remembered. Because nobody else did it but him. He was the first one." Tiger Woods referred to Sifford as "the Grandpa I never had," and that, without Sifford, "I probably wouldn't be here. My dad would have never have picked up the game. Who knows if the clause would still exist or not? But he broke it down"

The significance of Sifford’s achievements has not been lost. In 2004, Sifford was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, just the 104th athlete and first African American to receive the honor. On June 22, 2006, he received an honorary degree from the University of St Andrews as a Doctor of Laws. Then in 2009, the Charlie Sifford Exemption was created. This allows for the invitation of a player to the Northern Trust Open (formerly the Los Angeles Open) who represents the advancement of golf's diversity. In 2014, President Obama presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award.

Dr. Charlie Sifford died on February 3, 2015, at the age of 92. In a statement, PGA President Derek Sprague said, "His love of golf, despite many barriers in his path, strengthened him as he became a beacon for diversity in our game. By his courage, Dr. Sifford inspired others to follow their dreams. ... Golf was fortunate to have had this exceptional American in our midst."