First black World Golf Hall of Famer Sifford named Ambassador of Golf

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Charles Sifford was a pioneer for black golfers in America.

World Golf Hall of Fame Member Charlie Sifford has been named the 2008 Ambassador of Golf by Northern Ohio Golf Charities, as announced today by World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational Executive Director Don Padgett.

Sifford, who lives in nearby Highland Heights, Ohio, is credited with breaking down golf's "Caucasian only" rule more than four decades ago. The award is presented annually to a person or persons who have fostered the ideals of the game on an international level and whose concern for others extends beyond the golf course.

"We are pleased to honor Charlie Sifford during the Bridgestone Invitational as the 2008 Ambassador of Golf," said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem on behalf of the International Federation of PGA Tours. "Charlie is the ultimate pioneer and role-model, integrating the sport of golf and providing inspiration to the likes of Tiger Woods and aspiring players of all colors. We each owe him a debt of gratitude for his courageous spirit. He is a true champion, as a person and a player."

Born June 2, 1922, Sifford earned 60 cents a day as a caddie, the only golf-related opportunity available to a black kid growing up in North Carolina at the time. But he managed to hone his game on the side, and, by age 13, he could shoot par golf.

He won the National Negro Open five consecutive times from 1952-56, all the while pushing golf's color boundaries and enduring racial injustice and epithets. Not until 1960, when he was 39, did he earn a PGA player card. A year later, under pressure from the California attorney general, the PGA of America, which then ran the TOUR, dropped its "Caucasian only" membership clause.

Sifford won twice on the PGA TOUR, at the 1967 Greater Hartford Open and the 1969 Los Angeles Open. He also captured the 1975 PGA Seniors' Championship and went on to become an original member of the Champions Tour, where he won the Suntree Classic.

In 2004, Sifford again achieved another first for a black golfer. Of the 100 previously enshrined men and women at the World Golf Hall of Fame, none was black. He was selected via the Lifetime Achievement category for his contributions to the game.

In a testimonial for the World Golf Hall of Fame, Tiger Woods said, "The pain, suffering and sacrifice experienced by Mr. Sifford in being a lonely pioneer for black golfers on the PGA TOUR will never be forgotten by me. His success and personal conduct will provide a blueprint and inspiration for myself and other aspiring black TOUR players."

Sifford will be honored at a reception on July 30 at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, in conjunction with the Bridgestone Invitational.