From Northern Ohio Golf
Charlie Sifford was one of golf’s true pioneers. He was the first Black player to compete on the PGA Tour and the first Black member inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Sifford was born in North Carolina but lived in Northern Ohio for 35 years and was the PGA professional at Sleepy Hollow Golf Course in Brecksville. He died on February 3, 2015, at the age of 92 after suffering a stroke.
His family has donated much of his memorabilia to the Golf Hall of Fame in Pinehurst, North Carolina, as part of the USGA’s commitment to preserve and celebrate this critical part of golf history.
Sifford is often compared to baseball’s Jackie Robinson for his relentless pursuit of civil rights on and off the golf course. His desire to play professional golf and to continue to pave the way for future Black golfers, despite enduring tireless vitriol, hatred and discrimination continues to inspire minority golfers today. The preservation of his story is imperative to the USGA’s mission of chronicling the history of golf and sharing it with generations to come.
The collection will be housed at the USGA Golf Museum and Library in Liberty Corner, New Jersey. Select items will be on display in Charlie Sifford’s locker at the new World Golf Hall of Fame, which will open on the USGA’s campus in Pinehurst, North Carolina, later this spring.
Sifford had a successful career. He won two PGA Tour titles, the 1967 Greater Hartford Open Invitational and the 1969 Los Angeles Open. From 1952-1975, he won 12 non-PGA Tour events, including the 1957 Long Beach Open and 1963 Puerto Rico Open. He competed in 12 U.S. Opens, missing the cut just three times and earning a career best T21 finish in 1972 at Pebble Beach. After turning 50, Sifford competed in seven U.S. Senior Opens.
Perhaps his highest honor came when then President Barack Obama awarded Sifford the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014.
“The Sifford family is extremely honored to entrust to the USGA Golf Museum memorabilia reflecting the life and legacy of Dr. Charles L. Sifford,” said his son, Charles Sifford Jr. “This collection of artifacts represents the grit and perseverance of an African American man’s struggles and successes during an era of racial tension and segregation. My father challenged racial barriers, changing American history and paving the way for future golfers such as Tiger Woods. We are equally proud that the USGA Golf Museum will use this collection to enable future generations to reflect on the key tenets of social equity and commemorate the significance of my father’s contributions to all mankind.”
Even Tiger Woods has expressed his appreciation to African American professionals like Sifford for opening doors for minority golfers.
