The best golfers around the world compete in the annual PGA Tour event in Riviera. However, the winner of the Sifford exemption is also given a freeway into the tournament hosted by Tiger. Though the award has been given since 2009 to celebrate diversity in golf, it was only in 2017, two years after Sifford’s passing, the name was changed to the revolutionary golfer Charlie Sifford.
Sifford was the first African American golfer to compete on the PGA Tour. The golfer has been an idol for many, including the fan favorite Tiger Woods, who claimed to have called Sifford ‘Grandpa’. Nonetheless, let’s take a look at who received the prominent award in 2023.
The Hall of Famer and the tournament organizers have picked Marcus Byrd, who competes in the Advocates, as the recipient of the 2023 Charlie Sifford Exemption Award. He will be the talented golfer who will step foot on the Riviera Golf Club on February 16th.
In the APGA, Byrd has racked up plenty of wins. Though he will be competing under the bright lights of the PGA Tour next month, it isn’t his first visit to the American Tour. He made his PGA Tour debut at the 2022 Corales Puntacana Championship but failed to make the cut.
Sifford has been considered an idol by Tiger Woods. After his passing in 2015, Woods decided to pay a tribute to his hero by naming the award after him. Hopefully, Marcus Byrd delivers an impressive performance in Riviera and makes the Hall of Famer proud of his decision.
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