Charlie Sifford

CLEVELAND (AP) — The son and ex-daughter-in-law of late black golf pioneer Charlie Sifford were indicted Tuesday on charges they stole more than $1 million from him. Sifford in 1961 became the first black golfer to earn full-time playing privileges on the PGA Tour, paving the way for minorities to compete at the sport’s highest […]

  Black golfers such as Pete Brown, Lee Elder, Ann Gregory, Althea Gibson and Tiger Woods all owe their careers to golf pioneer Charlie Sifford. Sifford, the first Black golfer to play on the once all-white PGA Tour, died this past Tuesday. He was 92. Sifford was born June 2, 1922 in Charlotte, North Carolina. […]

Golf legend and civil rights activist Dr. Charles L. “Charlie” Sifford, has died at 92. Time reports: Born in 1922, the Charlotte, N.C. native is often called golf’s Jackie Robinson. His challenge to the PGA’s “Caucasian-only” membership clause forced the desegregation of professional golf in 1961. “By his courage, Dr. Sifford inspired others to follow […]

At the 1961 Greater Greensboro Open, Charlie Sifford‘s appearance marked the first time a black man had ever been in the field of a PGA Tour event in the South. Playing at Sedgefield Country Club, he held the lead after a first-round 68. Sifford had made his name in the predominantly black United Golf Association, […]