Obama mourns first black PGA Tour golfer

President Obama offered his condolences on Wednesday for the death of Charlie Sifford, the first African-American golfer to join the PGA Tour.

“Though his best golf was already behind him, he proved that he belonged, winning twice on tour and blazing a trail for future generations of athletes in America,” Obama said in a statement.

Sifford died at the age of 92 on Tuesday in Ohio.

He was the first black player to join the PGA Tour — golf’s highest level — when it ended its policy of admitting only whites in 1961. He had already been playing professionally for many years on a tour for black players.

Sifford began playing golf as a caddy in North Carolina, facing racism as he pursued his career in the sport. Though he earned his PGA Tour card later in life, he won several events on the circuit.

Obama awarded Sifford with the Presidential Medal of Freedom last year.