Spirit of the Game: African-American Firsts and the USGA

Tiger Woods' 2008 U.S. Open victory at Torrey Pines tied Bob Jones’ record for the most USGA championship victories. (USGA/John Mummert)

1896: John Shippen becomes the first African American to compete in a USGA championship, the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. When the presence of Shippen and Shinnecock tribe member Oscar Bunn was protested by several competitors, USGA President Theodore Havemeyer defended their inclusion. Talent would be the basis for competing in USGA championships, not race or ethnicity. Shippen finished in sixth place. 

1948: Ted Rhodes becomes the first African American to compete in the U.S. Open since John Shippen in 1913. He recorded a 1-under-par 70 in the first round at The Riviera Country Club, leaving him three strokes out of the lead, but ultimately finished T51. 

1956: The Chicago Women’s Golf Club becomes the first all-black Member Club of the USGA, which allows member Ann Gregory to compete in USGA championships. She becomes the first African American to compete in the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the U.S. Women’s Open in 1956 and ultimately competed in 27 USGA championships.

1959: William Wright becomes the first African American to win a USGA championship, the U.S. Amateur Public Links at the Wellshire Golf Course in Denver, Colo. Wright exhibits a strong short game and never trails in any of his matches.

2008: Tiger Woods wins his ninth USGA championship, the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, Calif., tying Bob Jones’ record for the most USGA championship victories. Woods was the third African American to win a USGA championship, compiling an unprecedent record of six consecutive championships (1991-1993 U.S. Junior Amateur; 1994-1996 U.S. Amateur), followed by three U.S. Open titles (2000, 2002, 2008). 

2009: Barbara Douglas becomes the first African American to chair the USGA Women’s Committee after serving as a member since 1993. In addition to being active in several regional organizations focused on golf administration, competitions and female leadership, she also served as president of the National Minority Golf Foundation from 1999 to 2005.  

2013: Sheila Johnson becomes the first African-American female member of the USGA Executive Committee. When elected, she was the only African-American woman to have ownership of three professional sports teams. A founding member of Black Entertainment Television and a board member of the Tiger Woods Foundation and the Annika Foundation, Johnson is a powerful influence in the entertainment and sports industries.  

2015: The USGA establishes a joint task force to preserve and celebrate African American golf history. Collecting artifacts that chronicle and communicate the experiences of historically underrepresented groups in golf is one of the USGA Golf Museum and Library’s primary focuses. Recognizing the USGA as the best repository for this shared history, the PGA of America and USGA create a joint task force to expand the collection and celebration of African American golf history. This led to the establishment of the both the Newspaper Division and Information and Ephemera Division of the USGA’s African American Golf History Archive, two important resources for research on race, gender and sports in the United States. 

2019: Lee Elder becomes the first African American to be awarded the USGA’s highest honor for distinguished sportsmanship in golf, the Bob Jones Award. Elder was the first African American to compete in the Masters Tournament and to earn a spot on a Ryder Cup Team. 

2023: Fred Perpall, a native of the Bahamas, is elected to serve as the 67th president of the USGA. Perpall served on the USGA Executive Committee for four years prior to his nomination.