The Sifford Scholarship Fund was established in 2022 in honor of the legendary and trailblazing Dr. Charles “Charlie” L. Sifford – the first Black golfer to earn a PGA TOUR card in 1961.
The Sifford Scholarship was created to help fund college costs for students who attend a Historically Black College or University and students focusing their education on a golf management program. The Cobbs Creek Foundation in Philadelphia serves as the fiscal sponsor for the scholarship fund.
The 2026 Sifford Scholars are:
- Leonard Anderson (Tuskegee University)
- Aubrey Beckles (Spelman College)
- Justin Clay (Florida A&M University)
- Tommi Crump (Delaware State University)
- Lourraine De Luna (Lincoln (PA) University)
- Francoise Hall (Howard University)
- Laniah Moffett (Howard University)
- Nasir Muhammad (North Carolina A&T State University)
- Caitlyn Oppong (Spelman College)
- Sydney Raines (University of Maryland Eastern Shore)
- Jaelon Ridley (Morehouse College)
- Morgan Rodriguez (Delaware State University)
The Sifford family offered their congratulatory remarks – “The Sifford Family is deeply proud of this year’s recipients, and of their continuation of the commitment to academic excellence of our previous cohorts. We have every confidence in their future successes, and that they will continue Dr. Sifford’s legacy of greatness wherever they go. I’m sure Dad is looking down smiling on them and wishing them the best in their pursuits.”
The centennial anniversary of Dr. Sifford’s birth was in 2022. Throughout that calendar year, celebrations were held in his honor. One such event – the 2022 Travelers Championship in Connecticut – took the lead in raising funds to support the Dr. Charles L. Sifford Scholarship Fund. Dr. Sifford secured his first victory on the PGA TOUR in 1967 in Connecticut.
The Cobbs Creek Foundation serves as the fiscal sponsor of the Dr. Charles L. Sifford Scholarship Fund. From its founding in 1916, Cobbs Creek embraced both Black and women golfers and acted as the home course to Charlie Sifford during the time he was a resident of Philadelphia.