Grand Slam: African-American Milestones in Golf
See how Blacks have shaped the golf world.
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1896 - A look at how African-Americans have shaped the golf world. — Britt Middleton At age 17, John Shippen, who was of African-American and Shinnecock Indian descent, played in the second U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. Shippen ties for sixth place, winning $10, and goes on to compete in five more U.S. Opens. (Photo: Public Domain)
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1899 - George Grant, a dentist from Boston and also the first African-American professor at Harvard, invented the wooden golf tee. (Photo: Public Domain)
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1946 - U.S. Air Force veteran William Powell builds Clearview Golf Club, which opened in 1948. Because he was denied a G.I. loan, he secured funding from family and friends and built the course on his own, becoming the first African-American to build, own and operate a golf course. (Photo: Matt Sullivan/Getty Images for PGA of America)
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1956 - Ann Gregory became the first African-American player to enter the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship. (Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images)
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1961 - Golfer Charlie Sifford became the first African-American player to earn a PGA Tour card. His other wins included the 1967 Greater Hartford Open Invitational, the 1969 Los Angeles Open, the 1975 PGA Seniors' Championship and the 1980 Suntree Classic, presently known as the Champions Tour. (Photo: PGA TOUR Archive/WireImage)
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1961 - The PGA of America allows for participants of all races in its tournaments by ending its "Caucasian-only clause." (Photo: Courtesy of The Professional Golfers' Association)
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1963 - Tennis legend Althea Gibson conquered the women's golf circuit, becoming the first African-American to compete on the LPGA Tour. (Photo: J. Wilds/Keystone/Getty Images)
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1975 - Golfing great Lee Elder blazes a path for African-American golfers by becoming the first African-American to play in the Masters. He went on to win four championships on the PGA Tour and eight more on the Champion's Tour. He was also the first Black player to compete in the Ryder Cup in 1979. (Photo: Frank Tewkesbury/Evening Standard/Getty Images)
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1986 - The PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship was created to support golf programs at historically Black colleges and universities. (Photo: Courtesy of The Professional Golfers' Association)
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1990 - The prestigious Augusta National Golf Club admits its first African-American member, businessman Ron Townsend. (Photo: REUTERS/Pool /Landov)
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