Advancing diversity in golf

Honoring groundbreaking achievements

Advancing diversity in golf

Honoring groundbreaking achievements

Congratulations, Stephen Curry!

“I'm incredibly honored to be chosen as the recipient of the Charlie Sifford Award and am grateful to the World Golf Hall of Fame for the recognition in this sport that I am so passionate about,” said Stephen Curry. “I believe that we have the opportunity to grow the game of golf by providing equity, access and opportunity to young golfers who have that same passion, dedication and determination as so many of us out on the green.”

- Stephen Curry
2024 Recipient, Charlie Sifford Award
Presented by Southern Company

Photo: PGA TOUR

The World Golf Hall of Fame has announced NBA Golden State Warriors' star Stephen “Steph” Curry as the 2024 recipient of the Charlie Sifford Award presented by Southern Company. The award honors recipients for their spirit in advancing diversity in golf. Curry is the second recipient of the award, joining 2022 recipient Renee Powell.

Southern Company serves as the presenting sponsor of the award, further expanding it's role in celebrating golf's most distinguished individuals, as the longtime presenting sponsor of the PGA TOUR's annual Payne Stewart Award.

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Driven by good energy

Curry’s golf accomplishments include launching Underrated Golf in 2021, a purpose-driven business endeavor with the overarching commitment to provide equity, access, and opportunity to student-athletes from every community by balancing participation in the sport to truly reflect our society.

In 2019, he helped Howard University to compete on the NCAA Division Ⅰ level by funding the golf team for the next six years. Howard did not have a golf team since the 1970s, and this is the first on the Division Ⅰ level in school history.

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About The Award

The Charlie Sifford Award was created in 2021 by the World Golf Hall of Fame to honor an individual who personifies Sifford’s groundbreaking achievements of diversifying the game of golf through perseverance, confidence, respect, and adaptability.

The World Golf Hall of Fame in partnership with Southern Company is committed to ensuring his legacy endures for future generations by recognizing others – like Curry – who are devoted to making golf an environment for all.

“Southern Company enjoys an association with golf that has enabled us to positively impact the lives of children, return hope and opportunity to our communities and create equitable access and opportunities for all,” said Chris Womack, chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company. “Steph Curry is a wonderful recipient of the Charlie Sifford Award presented by Southern Company. Steph is a great basketball player with a deep commitment to giving back and helping others. His pursuit to share and grow the game of golf with others is building upon Charlie’s work to create a more inclusive game of golf, a more equitable America and a better world.”

In 2022, Renee Powell was recognized as the inaugural recipient of the Charlie Sifford Award. Powell – the second African American woman to ever compete on the LPGA Tour – demonstrated resilience amidst her own obstacles of racial adversity and segregation and dedicated her life to making golf a sport for all.

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Charlie Sifford’s Legacy

Although he turned professional in 1948, Sifford was excluded from the PGA TOUR until 1961, when he became the first African American to compete as a member. Despite the injustice of having some of his best years behind him, Sifford won the Travelers Championship (1967) and Genesis Invitational (1969) and finished in the top-60 on the money list in his first nine years on TOUR. The Genesis Invitational now offers a tournament exemption each year (in his name) to a player who represents the advancement of diversity in golf. In 2004, Sifford was inducted into the Hall of Fame in recognition of his historic contributions in breaking barriers for generations of minority golfers who would follow in his footsteps, including Tiger Woods, 2022 Hall of Fame inductee. Sifford also was the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2014) prior to his passing in 2015.