Pete Brown (golfer)
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| Pete Brown | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 2, 1935 Port Gibson, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | May 1, 2015 (aged 80) Augusta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 14 st) |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| Status | Professional |
| Former tours | PGA Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 14 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 2 |
| Other | 12 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | DNP |
| PGA Championship | T33: 1964 |
| U.S. Open | T58: 1969 |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
Pete Brown (February 2, 1935 – May 1, 2015) was an American professional golfer who was the first African American to win a PGA Tour event with his win at the Waco Turner Open. He was from Mississippi.[1]
Brown was born in Port Gibson, Mississippi, and grew up in Jackson, Mississippi.[2] He started in golf as a caddy at the municipal course in his hometown.[3] He suffered from non-paralytic polio in the late 1950s but recovered and resumed playing competitive golf.[4]
Career
He turned professional in 1954, winning the Negro National Open consecutively in 1961 and 1962. Brown received his PGA Tour card in 1963.[2] He was not the first African American to obtain his PGA players card; that honor belonged to Charlie Sifford. Brown's victory at the 1964 Waco Turner Open did, however, earn him a place in history as the first African American to win a PGA event. He played on the PGA Tour for 17 years and posted a second tour win at the 1970 Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational in a playoff over Tony Jacklin.[5][6]
Brown played on the Senior PGA Tour (now Champions Tour) beginning in 1985. His best finishes were a pair of T-6s in 1985 at the Senior PGA Tour Roundup and the MONY Syracuse Senior Classic.
Brown was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.[7] [8] [9]
Personal life
Brown and his wife, Margaret, are the parents of six daughters.[2] He was the head pro at Madden Golf Course in Dayton, Ohio, for more than 20 years.[10] He lived in Evans, Georgia, from 2012 to 2015.[4][11]
Brown died in Augusta, Georgia, on May 1, 2015, at the age of 80.[12]
