by G. Rennie
Two of America’s finest and most under appreciated golfers from the second half of the 20th century died this past week.
Charlie Sifford passed on at the age of 92 on Tuesday February 4th in Cleveland, Ohio. Sifford was the Jackie Robinson of golf as he was the first African-American 
to be admitted to the PGA Tour. While Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball in 1947 it took until 1961 for the PGA to rescind the Caucasian Only rule and this came grudgingly after a court challenge from the attorney general of California in 1960 challenged the PGA’s entrenched discrimination.
Sifford was member of The Greatest Generation, a WWII veteran who, like all other men of color, was denied access to his chosen profession after returning from the war. I imagine Charlie Sifford was one tough, determined and strong willed man to face and overcome the obstacles that post war society placed in his way. But others followed quickly, with Lee Elder, Calvin Peete and Jim Dent all making their mark in his wake.
In comparison to today, the time of Sifford, Elder, Peete and Dent seems a boon time for African-American golfers as Tiger Woods is the only African-American on the Tour today. I for one hope that changes soon.
Sifford came to prominence with a second place finish in the 1960 Orange County Open and it was that performance that prompted the court action against the tour that eventually led to its change of rules. Sifford came second in that tourney to a native of Southern California, the great Billy Casper who died on Saturday February 7th.
A three time major winner and No.7 on the all time PGA Tour list with fifty one victories, Billy Casper was the forgotten man of championship golf as it came into its own in the late 50’s and early 60’s.
Television was the vehicle for boosting purses and Arnold Palmer was the personality that drove those TV ratings. And if Arnie wasn’t enough of a challenge to Casper’s celebrity there were a couple of other major winners to steal the spotlight, a Golden Bear and The Black Knight. 
The Big Three should really have been The Big Four according to Jack Nicklaus. Why that wasn’t the case , I don’t know, but maybe he and Mark McCormick didn’t get along.
A quiet family man, Casper wasn’t a power player like Arnie or Jack but relied on his mind and a silken putting stroke to get him round the course. His U.S. Open win in ’59 at Winged Foot will always be remembered for his unorthodox, courageous approach to taming the monstrous uphill par 3 third hole. At 216 yards, straight uphill with a moat of sand bunkers surrounding the green, Casper laid up in each of the four rounds, wedged it on and made par with a one putt each day.
His other Open win has been somewhat overshadowed by Palmer’s collapse but Casper came from 7 strokes back in ’66 at Olympic Club to tie Arnie and he soundly beat Palmer in the next day’s playoff by four strokes. Throw in a Master’s Green Jacket from 1970 and you have one of the great careers in American golfing history.
For all his prowess on the golf course, much of the commentary since his passing has focused on the personal qualities of Billy Casper. Testaments to his humility, acts of kindness, professionalism and devotion to his family and friends have been the things talked about by people in the game.
Professional golf is a much different game today than in the days of Charlie Sifford and Billy Casper and much of that change is for the better.
Statutory discrimination is no longer a barrier even though other obstacles seem to have kept the game pretty much a white bread affair. That’s a good thing.
Bomb and gouge is the predominant style of play and technology and course design seem to have diminished the role of shot making and course management. I’m not convinced that’s a good thing.
But I know a game that welcomed and rewarded two men like Sifford and Casper is a great game. And the game will miss them both.
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