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Breaking Barriers

Sad news this week from the world of golf, with the death of Charlie Sifford at the age of 92.

Sifford was the first African-American to be granted membership of the Professional Golfers Association in 1961, and in 2004 he became the first black golfer to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

He affectionately called Tiger Woods "junior", with Woods taking to social media to say: "Terrible loss for golf and me personally. My grandfather is gone and we all lost a brave, decent and honorable man. I'll miss u Charlie."

Sifford's great friend was Gary Player, one of only a handful of men to win all four majors.

As a black man, Sifford was barred from golf courses in the United States and South Africa, and, as a South African, there were also places where Gary Player couldn't compete.

As Player told Shari Vahl, it was an era when Sifford faced actions and words that would cause outrage today.

(Image: Gary Player and Charlie Sifford, Credit: AP)

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4 minutes