adminLOS ANGELES. — Charles “Charlie” Sifford, the first African-American to play golf on the PGA Tour, has died aged 92.
A former caddie, Sifford became the first black player in PGA-sanctioned events in 1961 when the “Caucasian-only” membership clause was dropped.
Sifford won two PGA Tour events, in 1967 and 1969, but had many victories prior to his official admission.
Tiger Woods credited Sifford for paving the way for his own golfing path, and called him ‘the grandpa I never had’. Sifford was often called the Jackie Robinson of golf, a reference to the late baseball player who was the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball. In 2004, Sifford became the first African-American to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
He won the PGA Seniors’ Championship in 1975, five years before the current Champions Tour was established. — BBC Sport.
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