Winners of the Charlie Sifford Award
The award was created in 2021 so has only been handed out a couple times so far. It is named after professional golfer Charlie Sifford, who, in the early 1960s, was the first African-American golfer allowed to become a PGA Tour member.
Charlie Sifford Award Winners List
2024 — Steph Curry2022 — Renee Powell
That's it so far. The award was created in 2021 but first bestowed in 2022.
More About the Charlie Sifford Award
When the creation of the award was announced in 2021, the World Golf Hall of Fame explained that it was intended "to honor an individual who personifies Sifford's groundbreaking achievements through perseverance, confidence, respect, and adaptability."Sifford, like many black golfers prior to the 1960s who were otherwise well-qualified to play on the PGA Tour, was denied membership by the racist policies of the time that were enforced by the PGA of America (which ran the tour into the 1970s). Simply put, the PGA, at that time, did not allow blacks to become members.
The PGA's so-called "caucasions only" rule was not removed until 1961. And in 1961, Charlie Sifford became the first African-America to become a member of the PGA Tour. Almost 40 by that time, Sifford went on to win two PGA Tour titles, won the 1975 Senior PGA Championship, and won once on the Champions Tour (he was near 60 when the Senior Tour was created).
In 2004, Sifford was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. In 2014, Sifford was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He died in 2015, then the Hall created the Charlie Sifford Award in 2021.
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