|
a PROFILE IN COURAGE
Charlie Sifford
|
 |
Golf Pioneer Sifford paved path for others.
Sifford’s steadfastness and golf smarts allowed him to break many of
golf’s rock solid racial barriers.
Can’t nothing make your life work if you aren’t the architect.
Terry McMillan
By LELAND STEIN III
Sports Editor Black Voice News
VALENCIA, Ca, March 1 - How bad do you want it? Can you put your pride aside to
accomplish something that has the opportunity to be special and legendary? Do you have the
vision to see the big picture in life? Are you the architect of your own destiny? In
the case of Jackie Robinson, he became the architect of his own destiny by the way he
conducted himself and his unbending focus on the task at hand. He swallowed his enormous
pride and fighter’s spirit for a bigger cause. Robinson knew that if he entered
baseball and fought every person that called him a demeaning name, he would be a failure.
Why? Because if he failed in the grand integration experiment, it would have taken years
for another integration opportunity to be extended by Major League Baseball. Well, Charles
Sifford, who was born in 1922 in North Carolina, found himself in a similar situation,
breaking barriers in golf, only with a lot less fanfare, but no less the pain and
resistance than his friend Robinson endured. Maybe, because of less visibility and press
coverage afforded to Sifford’s quest to integrate the Professional Golf Association
Tour, he endured and withstood even more degradation and contempt than Robinson. But
Sifford had the vision and the will to make it against all odds. Surely the White
dominated sport of golf and the infra-structures that supported it (the Country Clubs)
were rock solid in their clubhouse ways and determination to keep the sport all White.
Weathering the sting of exclusion and missed opportunity (he never played in the Masters),
Sifford, now 76, endured long enough to become the first African -American to win a PGA
Tour event; he won the Hartford Open in 1967, where he shot a scorching 64 to out last the
charging field. Sifford won the Nissan Open - played as the the L.A. Open - in 1969 held
at Rancho Park Golf Course. He overcame Harold Henning in a sudden death playoff. During
his career he won six Negro National Titles, before joining the PGA Tour in 1960 at the
age of 39, long past his prime playing years. Besides the Hartford and L.A. Open titles,
he won the PGA Seniors’ Championship in 1975 and the Suntree Classic held in
Melbourne Australia in 1980 Sifford won $1,265,490 during his PGA career. The majority of
the prize money came on the Seniors’ Tour ($924,145). Conducted at the Valencia
Country Club, the following is a question and answer interview with pioneer Sifford, whose
autobiography, “Just Let Me Play”, says volumes about Sifford’s quest to
integrate the golf world.
Q: How did you get exposed to golf.
A: Well, I got a job as a caddie in North Carolina when I was 13. I could shoot par then.
The thing about it was my dad, who was a laborer, made only $2.00 a week. I made that much
caddying.
Q: When did you get the fever for the sport.
A: As soon as I got on the course I felt it. I knew that was something I wanted to do for
the rest of my life. At the time, it seemed like just a dream, because professionally the
sport wasn’t accessible to Blacks back then.
Q: Who was instrumental in helping you realize your dream of being a golf
professional.
A: I worked for Billy Eckstine as his personal pro for many years. He helped keep me in
the game. I also hustled and played anywhere I could to make a buck . . . and, to just
play for the love of the game.
Q: As you continued to play, you realized you had a special gift for the game, but
the PGA was off limits to Blacks, what were your options.
A: We played in celebrity tournaments and worked with the top Black athletes and
performers of that era. Joe Louis had Teddy Rhodes as his personal pro. We played in many
non-sanctioned PGA events. The UGA (United Golfer’s Association) became a nice
opportunity for us to travel and play the game, as well as earn a small buck.
Q: Did you like the hustling life and pick up golf.
A: No. I wanted to play 72 holes of golf and try to make the less mistakes and out think
my opponents. I didn’t necessarily like hustling and the other stuff we had to do to
survive, but I was forced to do that to put food on the table. I really wanted the
opportunity to beat someone and earn the No. 1 trophy at the end of a tournament,
that’s what its really all about.
Q: What is your recollection of boxers “Sugar” Ray Robinson and Joe
Louis.
A: Both loved golf. Robinson never could play too well, but he supported us. He really
loved to play the game. Don Newcomb (ex-Dodger great) was another who was just like
Robinson supporting us, and, our quest to make the Tour. But Joe Louis did as much as
anyone. Louis was a big reason, along with California District Attorney Charley Moss, that
the LA Open fought the PGA Constitution’s “Caucasians Only Clause” - it was
stricken in 1961.
Q: How would you characterize your strengths as a golfer.
A: I used to always keep the ball in play. I wasn’t a great putter, but I was a
decent putter. I had a good short game and I kept my ball in play always. Also, I think I
was a smart player . . . I tried to think through situations.
Q: What was the lowest round you shot. Did you shoot under 66.
A: I shot a lot of those. At Hartford I shot a 64 that led to me winning the tournament. I
could shoot some numbers. The lowest I’ve shot is a 63.
Q: When were you playing your best golf.
A: I say that 1947 through 1960 I was swinging the clubs pretty good. I won the Long Beach
Open in 1957, but it wasn’t a sanctioned PGA event, so I didn’t get invited to
the Masters.
Q: Why aren’t more young Blacks on the Tour.
A: I think they just don’t have the will to endure the effort it takes. You have to
put something into this game . . . you have to sacrifice alot to get here. I sent my
nephew (Curtis Sifford) to qualifying school, but he didn’t . . . it’s tough
going. A lot of the youth today will not put up with the stuff I did back then. I had to
be strong to deal with the stuff that was placed in front of me
Q: What stuff did you have to put up with.
A: I don’t want to repeat the things that were said to me and about me, or rehash the
threats. But let me tell you, I was the first Black to play in a PGA event in the South in
Greensboro, North Carolina, and I can tell you I didn’t play too well because of the
other things I had to deal with.
Q: Was it very frustrating being excluded from golf courses and not given the
opportunity to compete.
A: Of course it was frustrating not being able to compete on the PGA Tour, especially when
you could see there were many players that were out there that you knew you could compete
with or were better than. In fact, there were a number of Black players that were very
good golfers and enjoyed the game. Yes, it may have hurt to be told you can’t compete
because of the color of your skin, but we went about our business and just tried to have
fun. We felt if we stayed at it and kept working on
our game, things would have to change. They eventually did, but I was too old when it
opened up in 1974 for Lee Elder who played in the Masters.
Q: What will it take to get more Blacks involved in the game.
A: Well, it will be hard. Most of the urban area schools don’t play the sport in high
school. They are use to playing basketball, football and baseball because the parents can
take them anywhere to play those games. But to take a kid to the driving range to drive
balls all day, well, most families have to work to make a living. Also, the cost of
playing has increased and in many cases it’s not affordable.
Q: Has Woods presence changed the game in a way that more minorities are involved
and maybe that will translate into more pros out on the Tour.
A: Sure his presence has change the Tour. Look at the galleries he has that follow him at
every tournament. But, I don’t see anymore Tiger Woods’ coming behind him. On
the Senior Tour a couple years ago there were five, Ben Morgan, Calvin Peete, Lee Elder,
Jim Thorpe and me. Now there’s only Tiger. I’m not sure, but we seem to be going
backwards (with diversity).
Q: So what do you think the future holds for diversity in golf.
A: To be a golfer you have to take it upon yourself. Your mother and father can’t
make you play enough to be good at it. Just because Tiger has done so well, most people
can forget about that. You can teach the game but you have to have the skill, and, the
opportunity to play to make it happen.
Q: Do the youth of today recognize you and know what you’ve accomplished.
A: Many don’t know what I’ve done or the foundation myself and many others laid
so we can have a Tiger Woods today. What the kids today need to know is that golf
didn’t start in 1997, but in 1947. It’s a good thing what Tiger is doing, but
most kids don’t know nothing better than Tiger Woods, that shouldn’t be. They
should know where the game started from, they should know their history.
Q: You say golf started in 1947 what do you mean by that.
A: The UGA was a Black league that played in Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Cleveland,
Detroit, New York and Chicago. It was a group of Black players. We also had a few White
players, too. But none of them could beat Teddy Rhodes or Bill Spiller.
Q: Are you bitter about the things you had to endure and the lack of opportunity
available to you during your era.
A: No, I’m not bitter. If you go around being bitter at people you won’t live
long. I’ll be 76-years-old this year. I’ve put all that negative stuff behind me
and decided to look forward a long time ago. When I was going through what I did, I
focused on proving that a Black man can play the game of golf as good as a White man. What
I’ve tried to prove has been proven by Tiger Woods. I was too old when they let me
play, but I never did learn how to play the game the best I could, because I had too many
other things to worry about.
Q: How do you feel about what Tiger Woods has accomplished on the Tour.
A: Well, I’m really glad he has come along like he has . . . it really makes me smile
. . .a big smile. They need some more Tiger Woods, but I don’t know if they will find
any soon, because the majority of the youth are not into golf. What Tiger has accomplished
is wonderful. There is tremendous pressure on him from all angles, but the way he has
handled himself is special.
I’m very proud of what he has done and the way he has done it. I had breakfast with
the kid this morning, and he understands and respects the players that played before him.
He’s a very smart guy and knows how to handle what’s happening around him.
Q: Are you a role model.
A: Well, the parents are the real role models. But, I’m sure someone out there
admires the trail I’ve blazed and the things I went through to get on the PGA Tour.
We had our fun, but I always tried to make sure I didn’t do anything that would
reflect bad on myself and others. I want respect and gave it. I just wanted to play the
game and show people Blacks could play at the highest level, too.
LELAND STEIN III
Living
Legends
    
Brown | Dent | Elder | Peete | Sifford
We send out a special thank you and tribute to these men and their
families for the contributions they made and hardships they endured.
Order Books Mr. Sifford's Autobiography
From our BookStore Just Click Here !
|
