June 2, 2021 | BY AAGD STAFF
Charlie Sifford, the first African American member of the PGA Tour. Born on this day, June 2, in Charlotte, NC, in 1922. Sifford started in golf by caddying at a local golf course and developed a love for the sport that would last a lifetime. Often referenced as the Jackie Robinson of golf, Sifford once said that, “Jackie Robinson’s job wasn’t as tough as mine.”
Sifford transitioned from this world on February 3, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio, and he left behind a legacy that will forever be remembered. “Charlie Sifford is maybe the greatest hero this game has known because of all of the indignities that he suffered,” says Pete McDaniel, author of Uneven Lies: The Heroic Story Of African Americans In Golf.
In golf, in 1959, he became the first Black golfer to finish the U.S. Open. In 2004 he became the first African American to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and his love for the sport was a strong as ever. In an excellent video below that was produced by the PGA Tour, Sifford explains the challenges he faced while paving way for the likes of Tiger Woods.
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