Sifford Passes

Charlie Sifford, who broke the color barrier in golf as the first black PGA Tour member, died Tuesday night. He was 92. Sifford had recently had suffered a stroke. Details of his death and funeral arrangements were not immediately available.

Sifford, who became the first black man inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2004 and was often called "the Jackie Robinson of golf," was honored this past November when President Barack Obama presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer are the only other golfers who have received that honor.

The 38-year-old Sifford - a six-time National Negro Open winner - challenged the PGA Tour's Caucasian-only clause, which was rescinded in 1961, becoming the first black man to join the PGA tour. He was met with death threats and heard racist slurs from fellow pros and spectators, was denied access to clubhouses and hotels, and found excrement in the cups when he went to retrieve his ball on the greens.

He recounted those horror stories in his 1992 autobiography, "Just Let Me Play."

But he persevered, winning the 1967 Greater Hartford Open and the Los Angeles Open two years later. In 1975, he won the PGA Seniors Championship, five years before the Champions Tour was created.

"His love of golf, despite many barriers in his path, strengthened him as he became a beacon for diversity in our game," PGA of America president Derek Sprague told ESPN. "By his courage, Dr. Sifford inspired others to follow their dreams. Golf was fortunate to have had this exceptional American in our midst."

Sifford served as an inspiration for Tiger Woods, whom he called "Junior." "It was a tough time for Charlie to go through what he went through, but he paved the way for a lot of us to be where we're at," Woods said in a news conference at the 2013 U.S. Open.

"I know my dad probably wouldn't have picked up the game if it wasn't for what Charlie did. I've always called him my grandpa, the grandpa I never really had. I've gotten to know him through the years and it's been fantastic. We owe a lot to him and all the pioneers that have paved the way for us to be here."

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