The first African-American golfer to win a PGA Tour event dies at 80
How Tiger Woods once helped Pete Brown is only part of his life story. He also took home a tournament in Burneyville, Okla., in 1964.
By
Kyle Porter
•
1 min read
Pete Brown was not the first African-American golfer to play in a PGA Tour event. (That would be Charlie Sifford, who passed away earlier this year.)
Nor was Brown the most prolific. (That title belongs to Calvin Peete, who passed away earlier this week.) But Brown was the first African-American golfer to win a PGA Tour event.
Brown won the Waco Turner Open in Burneyville, Oklahoma, in 1964.
He was the 1st African-American to win a sanctioned PGA Tour event. Pete Brown passed today at age 80 in Augusta, Ga. pic.twitter.com/Kk4oyxJM9n
— Bob Denney (@pgahistorybug) May 1, 2015
He had a tough post-golf life, though. Two of his daughters died of cancer and, according to this Sports Illustrated profile of Jim Dent, Brown was bedridden for a while.
His buddy Dent even let him stay in a house he owned in Augusta, Georgia, rent-free. Tiger Woods helped pay for the move.
It's been said that these things happen in threes. First, Sifford. Then, Peete. Now, Brown. Three of the most iconic African-American golfers ever.
Hopefully, Brown is the last to pass for a long time. He'll always be known as the first to win.
For more golf news, rumors and analysis, follow @KylePorterCBS on Twitter and link up with CBS Sports Golf on Facebook and Google+.
