“Marcus has shown resiliency and perseverance in pursuit of a professional playing career.”
Dating back to 2009, an exemption has been given to a minority golfer for the Genesis Invitational as a way to represent the advancement of diversity in golf. In 2017 the exemption was re-named the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption in honor of Sifford, the man who broke the PGA Tour color barrier.
On Monday morning, tournament host Tiger Woods announced Marcus Byrd would receive the exemption for the upcoming event, Feb. 16-19, at Riviera Country Club near Los Angeles.
“Marcus has shown resiliency and perseverance in pursuit of a professional playing career,” Woods said via a release. “These are qualities that remind me of Charlie and his journey. I look forward to watching Marcus compete at Riviera.”
A former star for Middle Tennessee State and 2019 Conference USA Golfer of the Year, Byrd currently competes on the Advocates Professional Golf Association Tour, where he finished atop the standings for the Farmers Insurance Fall Series back in November. The Genesis Invitational will be Byrd’s second career start on the PGA Tour after he debuted at the 2022 Corales Puntacana Championship.
“It’s a true honor to receive the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption into the 2023 Genesis Invitational,” added Byrd. “To think that I’ll forever be a part of this tournament’s storied history means a lot. I cannot wait to compete at Riviera and represent Mr. Sifford with my play.”
Former recipients of the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption include the following:
Jack Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament will recognize Charlie Sifford posthumously, the first Black so feted by the event.
DUBLIN, Ohio — Golf instructor Gerry Hammond quickly ran down a who’s who of groundbreaking Black golfers: Pete Brown. Lee Elder. James Black. Calvin Peete.
Then he paused, not for effect but to sigh, because to mention Charlie Sifford is to remember a painful time when whites wanted Blacks to show up at the course only to carry their clubs. Black caddies were OK. Black golfers? Especially Black professional golfers? No thanks.
“But Charlie Sifford is the one who probably had it hardest of them all,” Hammond continued. “He was one of the first to push and break down the barrier and walls, and he received backlash for it.”
What kind of backlash? In 1952, Sifford used an invitation procured by boxer Joe Louis to try to qualify for the Phoenix Open. Arriving at the first green, the 29-year-old from Charlotte found human feces waiting for him in the cup. It would take eight more years before he earned his PGA Tour card, then another 12 months until the tour dropped the “whites only” clause from its by-laws.
Finally, in 1961 Sifford became the first Black to join the same tour that had recently welcomed Jack Nicklaus. Six decades later, Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament will recognize Sifford posthumously as co-honoree with Ben Crenshaw. Sifford, who died in 2015 at age 92, is the first Black so feted by the Memorial.
“It had to be tough for (Sifford),” said Hammond, who runs the Hammond Golf Academy out of the Golf Depot in Gahanna, Ohio. “Think about it and let’s be real: what if you walked into an all-Black restaurant with your wife and kids? How would you feel?”
Or, to bring things onto Hammond’s professional turf, switch the location from restaurant to driving range.
Charlie Sifford in 1957 (Photo: Harold P. Matosian/Associated Press)
Hammond felt the eyes upon him on the practice range during the PGA Championship two weeks ago at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 54-year-old attended the major championship as swing coach for Wyatt Worthington II, a 35-year-old teaching pro making his second appearance in the major.
“It’s a really small world when you’re talking about good players and good teachers who are Black,” Hammond said. “Some guys receive you well; with others you can feel ‘What are you doing here?’ There is still some (discomfort) there because you are different.”
It took Sifford winning two tour events, the 1967 Greater Hartford Open and 1969 Los Angeles Open, to finally gain a measure of respect among much of the golfing establishment. In 2004, the Brecksville, Ohio, resident became the first Black inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Tiger Woods, who named his son Charlie in honor of Sifford, in 2015 credited the pioneer with paving the way for his own career.
“I probably wouldn’t be here (without him),” Woods said. “My dad would never have picked up the game. Who knows if the (whites only) clause would still exist or not? But he broke it down.”
Of course, there is always a need for more breaking, whether that means more Blacks inside the ropes or on the business and equipment sides.
Charlie Sifford in 2011. (Photo: Allen J. Schaben, TNS)
“Has it moved? Yes,” Hammond said of racial progress. “Has it moved fast enough? Well, what do we want to see? If you want to see 50-50, we’re not there yet.”
Hammond, who chatted with Sifford at golf events, still sees obstacles standing in the way of young Black golfers making it on tour.
“Any way you slice it, this is an expensive game,” he said. “And there is not really anything happening that is throwing the type of money that I think is warranted to develop high-level players.”
Hammond credited the First Tee program, which introduces youth to golf, as a good starting place, “but these kids need high-level facilities and instruction. They need to be putting on (super fast) greens and fitted for clubs and playing in youth tournaments that require travel, and nobody is throwing out that type of money. That’s where the roadblock is, not necessarily with access.”
Hearing Hammond talk, it becomes even more clear how tough Sifford, who had it; not only did he lack many of the resources described by Hammond, but he also faced lack of access.
“The world we live in has a long way to go as a human race, and golf to me is a part of it, a piece of the whole thing,” Hammond said. “It’s a beautiful sport, because it can connect us in ways other sports won’t. It allows you to spend time with an individual that we never get to engage with for more than 30 minutes. It gives insight into character and personality and shows that maybe this is somebody I can jibe with and do business with. You talk family. It’s a chance to break down barriers.”
An early “breaker,” Sifford was a model for generations to come.
“Just keep plugging away and working and building and playing our part,” Hammond said. “You play your part. I play my part and we keep doing this thing together.”
Well-played, sir.
Editor’s note: Charlie Sifford would’ve turned 100 in 2022. He was born on June 2, 1922, and died Feb. 3, 2015.
Joaquin Niemann, Lanny Wadkins and Charlie Sifford are names to remember from the 2022 Genesis Invitational.
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — Three days of sunshine and clear, blue skies gave way to some cloud cover and chillier temps on Sunday on a golf course that pretty much every PGA Tour pro calls one of the best.
Riviera Country Club, nearing its 100th birthday, shined once again, proving its mettle as a premier Tour stop.
The world’s top-10 golfers headlined a stacked field and except for Dustin Johnson, they all advanced to the weekend. The leaderboard was dominated at the very top by a 23-year-old Chilean, a 24-year-old rookie and a two-time major champion.
After a final-round 71 by Joaquinn Niemann, we did get a wire-to-wire winner at the 2022 Genesis Invitational but a long-standing Tour mark stays intact.
The award’s inaugural recipient will be Renee Powell, the second Black woman to compete on the LPGA in 1967.
It was on this day in 2004 that Charlie Sifford was inducted in the World Golf Hall of Fame. As a way to honor the first Black player on the PGA Tour, on Monday the Hall of Fame announced the creation of the Charlie Sifford Award presented by Southern Company for those who advance diversity in golf.
The award’s inaugural recipient will be Renee Powell, who became the second Black woman to compete on the LPGA in 1967 after Althea Gibson in 1964. Powell will be honored as part of the Hall of Fame’s 2022 induction ceremony on Wednesday, March 9, during the Players Championship. Tiger Woods, Susie Maxwell Berning, Tim Finchem and the late Marion Hollins comprise the 2022 class, and will bring the number of Hall of Fame members to 164.
“As a youngster my parents fought to get me into tournaments when I was not welcomed because of the color of my skin, which instilled in me how important it is to get young people into the game to help build their self-confidence,” said Powell via a release. “I’m honored to be the first recipient of this award and to see Charlie Sifford be recognized for breaking down barriers that never should have been put in front of him and all others of color who strived to play this game. I was taught early on by my parents that golf should be a sport for everyone, and we can all diversify this game in so many ways.”
During her professional career Powell played in more than 250 tournaments. Since 1995 she has been the head PGA/LPGA professional at Clearview Golf Club in Ohio, established by her father, William Powell, in 1946 as the first golf course in the country designed, built, owned and operated by a Black person.
“The creation of this award will establish a platform for celebrating the significance of Charlie Sifford’s contributions to golf in the face of adversity,” said World Golf Hall of Fame CEO Greg McLaughlin. “In partnership with Southern Company, the Hall of Fame is committed to ensuring his legacy endures for future generations by recognizing others – like Renee Powell – who are devoted to making the sport a welcome environment for all.”
“On behalf of the Sifford family, we are immensely proud and honored to have this award established in my father’s name,” said Charles Sifford Jr. “My father, my number one hero, simply wanted to play the game he loved so much and – in this pursuit – endured enormous challenges as an African American golfer. His skills, perseverance, grit, and determination propelled him to continue his dream. He was successful despite having to overcome multiple barriers of discrimination. His hard-fought efforts paved the way for other minority golfers to pursue their career. This award is honorably illuminated by having a longtime family friend and successful African American female golfer, Renee Powell, as the first recipient. This really is something special.”
