Legendary Cause

WHAT STARTED OUT as a Black History Month tribute to some of golf’s African-American pioneers has blossomed into a way to help youngsters perhaps just discovering the game.

Artist Darrell Anderson says he was a “late-bloomer” to golf; when he started playing, the Green Valley Ranch resident was hooked, and began delving into the history of the game, particular- ly as it related to the Black experience.

“There was never an empty conversation about golf, no mat- ter what country I was in,” he said. “Over time, I wanted to know about the African-American Legends of golf who were playing this game long before I be- came aware and interested.”

Anderson’s quest eventually led him to create his own tribute, a painting honoring three of the seminal figures in the sport— Pete Brown, the first African-American to win a PGA TOUR event; Charlie Sifford, the first Black to play on the tour; and Renee Powell, who followed Althea Gibson as the second Black woman to play on the LPGA Tour.