Tee'd Off: The Most Racist Moments in Golf History
From refusing players' right to enter tournaments to infamously reckless quotes, here are golf's most prejudiced incidents.
Image via Complex Original
Over the last two decades, few sports have changed their racial makeup as drastically as golf. From Tiger Woods' dominance in the 2000s, to the emerging star power of names like K.J. Choi, Vijay Singh, and Jhonattan Vegas—the game done changed.
But while we would love to say that discrimination no longer exists, this would be far from the truth. From golfers being banned from tournament participation to snide bigoted remarks made by players and analysts, golf has some deep-rooted racism that continues to rear its ugly head on occasion. With the 2011 US Open kicking off tomorrow, we take a look at the progress made and the struggles that still exist today in The Most Racist Moments in Golf History...
13. "Golfers Will Be White, and Caddies Will Be Black"
DATE: 1975
COMPLEX SAYS: Golf administrator and co-founder of the Augusta National Golf Club, Clifford Roberts was well-known for his racism and famous for the quote, "As long as I'm alive, golfers will be white, and caddies will be black." Roberts must have been turning in his grave seeing Tiger Woods dominate Augusta the way he did earlier in his career. Better yet, he, and every other deceased golfer, must really be turning in their grave whenever they see Charles Barkley take a golf swing. Yikes.
12. The Color Barrier at The Masters
DATE: 1975
COMPLEX SAYS: As the first African American to play in the Masters, Lee Elder faced much criticism and hate. He was forced to rent two houses during the tournament, so that he could move between them in an effort to protect himself from attacks by racists. In addition to that, when asked about Elder playing in the tournament, Augusta National co-founder Clifford Roberts was quoted as saying, "To make an exception would be practicing discrimination in reverse." Two years after Elder made his Masters debut, Roberts committed suicide by shooting himself on the banks of the par-3 course at Augusta. Damn, son. The hate runs that deep, huh?
11. The Legend of Bagger Vance
DATE: 11/3/2000
COMPLEX SAYS: If you ever meet Spike Lee, one solid piece of advice would be to never ask him about his opinion on the subtly racist sports movie, The Legend of Bagger Vance. Don't get us wrong, you could if you want to. Just be prepared to constantly nod your head while resting on a comfortable pillow because Spike will throw you a long-winded response on how Bagger Vance is portrayed as a black man with special powers whose only concern is to help Matt Damon with his golf swing. On that note, never ask him about Tyler Perry's Madea franchise either.
10. WWII Vet Bill Powell Is Denied the Right to Play
DATE: 1946
COMPLEX SAYS: Before Tiger Woods was putting his stamp on the game of golf, there was Bill Powell. After coming back from serving in the Army Air Forces in World War II, Powell wanted to return to the sport he loved, but was denied play on public courses due to the color of his skin. Powell decided that if no one was going to let him play on their courses, he was going build one of his own. After being denied a bank loan, Powell borrowed money from his brother and two physicians and built the Clearview Golf Club in Ohio, becoming the first African American to have his own professional golf course. The PGA recognized him in 2009 with the Distinguished Service Award. #stunt101
9. All-White Everything
DATE: 4/9/2010
COMPLEX SAYS: If we were to tell you that James Edwards was anti-Semitic and a white supremecist, would any racist claims that come out of his mouth really be that much of a surprise? We didn't think so. Before the 2010 Masters, Edwards wrote that the Masters are "the closest picture we have of what the modern world might be like had the old South survived.” Wow, really?! And he didn't stop there, though. Discussing Tiger Woods' impact on the PGA, he refers to Woods as a "mixed race Negro with the skills to break down the last sport of white refuge, golf, and its citadel, Augusta National. He was the black messiah of sports. The long awaited one who would tear down the last remnants of segregation.” Damn, this is the type of commentary that people post without using their real name or information.
8. The All-White Shoal Creek Country Club
DATE: 8/5/1990
COMPLEX SAYS: Hall Thompson may be known for developing Shoal Creek Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama, but he is infamous for not accepting African Americans for membership into his country club. When asked about his membership policy, he said "The country club is our home, and we pick and choose who we want. That sort of thing just isn't done in Birmingham...We have Jews, women, Lebanese and Italians—but not blacks.'' The controversy surrounding Hall's comments eventually led to Louis J. Willie, a black businessman, becoming an honorary member of the club. Salute to Willie for breaking the barrier. Though completely unrelated, the idea of a black man becoming a member of an all-white club reminds of this classic Chappelle's Show clip.
7. Haters Gonna Hate
DATE: 5/15/2011
COMPLEX SAYS: With Tiger Woods not dominating like he used to, it's good to see other golfers winning the major championships. The same sentiment couldn't be shared with the people that attended the 2011 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. After K.J. Choi secured a victory, many of the fans turned on him stating that "they hated that an American didn't win." In true gentleman fashion, Choi ignored the criticism. We pray dude bumps this victory track if he wins the U.S. Open.
6. No English, Big Problems
DATE: 8/20/2008
COMPLEX SAYS: In one of the most controversial and oddest moves in LPGA history, commissioner Carolyn Bivens wanted to suspend the memberships of female golfers who did not speak English. To be quite honest, you don't really need to know English to play golf. You just play your game and know the curse words, because when one of these players drops f-bombs on the course, it's ratings gold. Here's Exhibit A.
5. Golfweek Magazine's Noose Cover
DATE: 1/19/2008
COMPLEX SAYS: A little more than a week after Kelly Tilghman's infamous lynching comments, Golfweek Magazine decided to roll out a story on the issue with one of the most disturbing images ever to be put on a sports magazine. Seriously, if no one in your camp thought that this cover may be a little too harsh or inappropriate, "you people" got some serious issues within your publication. #wheretheydothatat
4. A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
DATE: 10/14/2009
COMPLEX SAYS: A vandal took to a Boston-area golf course to spread this message of hate. No words can really describe how ridiculous people are sometimes. How can you possibly...ruin a golf course like that? We kid, we kid. We had to bring some humor to this circumstance. All jokes aside, if Obama could find Osama bin Laden, we're pretty sure that eventually discovering the lame who did this will be no problem.
3. "Tell him not to serve fried chicken next year."
DATE: 4/19/1997
COMPLEX SAYS: Never one to filter himself, Fuzzy Zoeller always said what was on his mind. Unfortunately, this moment may be the one he regrets most. After being asked about Tiger's meteoric rise to fame in the golf world, Fuzzy started off by giving Tiger some very high praise for his skills on the course, but all that turned sour when Zoeller made comments about the Masters Champions Dinner where the defending champion chooses the menu: "Tell him not to serve fried chicken next year...or collard greens, or whatever the hell they serve." We guess dude was watching his sodium intake. Things are bound to turn salty when a young'n continues pwning old heads at their own game.
2. The "Invitation Only" Format
DATE: 1948
COMPLEX SAYS: Black golf pioneers Theodore Rhodes, Bill Spiller, and Madison Gunther filed a lawsuit against the PGA for civil rights violations over the association's "Caucasians only clause." Despite a settlement that rescinded the clause, the PGA changed their policy to an "invitation only" format in an effort to prevent African Americans from competing in tournaments. SMH, player haters have been around forever, folks.
1. The Freudian Slip
DATE: 1/10/2008
COMPLEX SAYS: During Tiger Woods' prime, every golfer was trying to figure out a way to stop homie's reign over the PGA. Then, while discussing Woods' dominance with golfer Nick Faldo, the Golf Channel's announcer Kelly Tilghman came up with the most ridiculous and racist solution ever. If there is any humor to get out of this, it's the look on Faldo's face saying, "Um, not what I was really going for there, Kelly."