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Charlie Sifford, Lee Elder and
Calvin Peete broke the color
barrier in professional golf. In
fact, prior to 1961 the PGA of
America maintained an all-
white policy for professional
golfers allowed to become
teaching professionals or
participate in professional
golf events.
These men competed and
were eventually accepted
as equals in the professional
ranks and Lee Elder was the
first African American to be
invited to the Masters in 1975.
All of these men opened the
door for Tiger Woods to come
barging through in 1997, when
he became a force on the PGA
Tour for the next 20 years.
Although primarily a tennis
player, Althea Gibson was the
first woman of color to play
on the LPGA Tour. Renee’
Powell became the second
and played on the tour from
1967-1980. She is still the
Director of Golf at Clearview
Golf Club, the course her
father built and operated.
TigerWoods’ niece,Cheyenne
Woods joined the LPGA Tour
in 2014 and is currently in
her third year on tour.
In 2016, three other young
Black women, Sadena Parks,
Ginger Howard and Mariah
Stackhouse, have joined
Woods on the LPGA Tour
and in June at the Cambia
Portland Classic history was
made when all four of these
young ladies were in the
field. It was the first time four
African American women
were in the field for an LPGA
Tour event.
Parks is a former contestant on
the Golf Channel’s Big Break.
Howard turned professional
in 2013 at the age of 17 and
earned her way on to the
LPGA Tour this season.
Stackhousehada stellar career
at Stanford, where she was a
four-time All American and a
member of the 2015 Cardinal
NCAA Championship team.
Golf is sometimes castigated
for being too exclusive and
not open to other races. The
LPGA Tour is a point to the
contrary.
If you have talent and are
willing to work to improve
to be the best, golf, like
any athletic endeavor, will
provide a venue to exhibit
that talent.
Golf was slow to come
around, but it is open to
diversification and players of
all creed, color or religion.
History was made at LPGA Portland Classic
By
Fred Altvater
NWO Golf Links