February 2019 marked a steppingstone on the PGA Tour. At the Genesis Open, four Black Americans were in the field of 144 players. This marks the most ever in a PGA tournament but, at less than 3%, this is not a great accomplishment. As a former golf professional in Minneapolis states, racism is still very present within the golf community. How is it that arguably the best golfer in the world is Black but there is still racism at an amateur level?
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Many golfers including myself believe that Black participation in golf started with Tiger Woods, but after reading Race Relations and the Sport of Golf, I learned that this is not the case. It dates to 1896 when John Shippen became the first Black golfer to play in the national championship. Golfers like Shippen and Woods have broken racial barriers in the game of golf and, although their impact has been positive, there are levels of racism throughout the sport that need to be addressed.
Although some Black golfers have had great success on the PGA tour and they recently had their most Black Americans competing in a tournament, it is a time to reflect on why there is a celebration for less than 3% of the field being of color.
LT
Sport, Not Games ⚽ 