July 6, 2020
Springfield golf legend Horton Smith has come under fire for promoting a Caucasian-only policy and barring Black golfers from the PGA of America.
Smith, a two-time Masters Champion, including the inaugural tournament, recently had his name removed by the PGA of America from its “Horton Smith Award” after a review of history revealing he defended the Caucasian-only membership clause when he served as PGA president in the 1950s.
He holds a record of six professional tournament wins before the age of 21. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1990.
The decision to remove Smith’s name from the award came shortly after Wendell Haskins, the PGA of America’s former director of diversity, had a critical comment about the Springfield native in mid-June in the African American Golfer’s Digest.
Haskins wrote about different recommendations he had for the PGA of America going forward in an open letter sharing his personal experiences concerning race and the PGA during his tenure.
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YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: “Rename The Horton Smith Award,” Haskins wrote. “He was a racist.”
After the article was published, PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh responded, telling Golf Digest, “I had never met Wendell, so I reached out to him and had a two-hour video chat. I listened carefully to his ideas and took them to heart in our ongoing efforts to make the PGA of America and the game of golf more inclusive and diverse. I appreciate the opportunity to share views, and we thank him for the dialogue.”
A few weeks later, the PGA of America changed the name of the award.
“In renaming the Horton Smith Award, the PGA of America is taking ownership of a failed chapter in our history that resulted in excluding many from achieving their dreams of earning the coveted PGA Member badge and advancing the game of golf,” PGA President Suzy Whaley said in a press release. “We need to do all we can to ensure the PGA of America is defined by inclusion. Part of our mission to grow the game is about welcoming all and bringing diversity to the sport.
“With the new PGA Professional Development Award, we will recognize effective inclusion efforts and honor those across our 41 PGA Sections who continue to promote and improve our educational programs. We look forward to doing more of both as we move forward.”
One of the most notable incidents in which Smith promoted the Caucasian-only clause came at the San Diego Open in 1948, when he was serving as the PGA president.
According to an ESPN article, the sponsors of the San Diego Open in January 1948, unaware of the Caucasians-only clause, invited former heavyweight champion Joe Louis to play in its inaugural event.
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