Another Golf Pioneer Passes

Pete Brown, the first African-American to win a PGA Tour event, dies at 80

Wire Reports

It's only May, and we've already lost four history-making golfers this year.

First were World Golf Hall of Famers Charlie Sifford and Billy Casper. Calvin Peete, winner of 12 PGA Tour events, passed at the end of April.

And now, just days after Peete's passing, another Pete—Pete Brown—died in Augusta at age 80.

Who was Pete Brown?

Three years after the PGA of America and PGA TOUR abolished the infamous “Caucasians Only” clause, Brown became the first African-American golfer to win a PGA Tour event—the 1964 Waco Turner Open. He also took the 1970 Andy Williams-San Diego Open during his 17-year career on the PGA Tour.

Brown grew up in Port Gibson, Mississippi, and started out in golf as a caddie. After turning professional he was a four-time winner of the National Negro Open, a tournament for black players during at a time when blacks were prohibited from being members of the PGA of America and playing on the PGA Tour.

In 1963, Brown finally became a PGA Tour member. This occurred just two years after Sifford broke that color barrier.

The soft-spoken Brown was known as “the nicest man on the tour,” according to The Golf Channel's Uneven Fairways.

RELATED LINKS:

Charlie Sifford Was a True Pioneer

The Greatness of Billy Casper

Calvin Peete Dies at 71

Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.