Iconic Golfers Statue Unveiling at Cedar Crest Golf Course
DALLAS, Texas — Cedar Crest Golf Course (CCGC), in partnership with the I AM a Golfer Foundation (IAMGF), is hosting a statue unveiling ceremony of golf legends Dr. Charlie Sifford and Walter Hagen at 10:00AM on Monday, May 8, 2023 at Cedar Crest Golf Course, 1800 Southerland Ave Dallas, TX 75203.
Golf icons Dr. Sifford and Hagen both won championships at Cedar Crest. Dr. Sifford, also known as “The Jackie Robinson of Golf”, won the 1954 UGA Negro National Open. The statue of Dr. Sifford at Cedar Crest Golf Course will be the first larger-than-life statue of him ever made.
“My father, Dr. Charles Sifford, would have been thrilled and honored having his life’s story told in this manner here at Cedar Crest,” Charles Sifford Jr., son of the golf legend Dr. Sifford, said. “My father overcame many adversities as he strived to play professional golf. This installation will ensure that generations to come will also know of and be inspired by the grit and perseverance that it took for a man of color to play a sport that he loved. Dr. Charles Sifford was a trailblazer for the sport of golf who wanted the injustices removed to ‘Just Let Him Play’”.
Walter Hagen, who won 11 major golf championships over the course of his career, was the winner of the 1927 PGA Championship hosted by Cedar Crest. He has been called “The Father of Professional Golf.” The statues of Hagen and Dr. Sifford were both designed by local artist Emmanuel Gillespie.
The unveiling will take place immediately after a scholarship awarding presentation, where the I AM a Golfer Foundation will honor two students with a combined $20,000 in financial aid. Since its inception in 2018, IAMGF has engaged over 450 area youth in instructional programming, created and hosted 71 paid internship positions for area students and awarded more than $95,000 in higher education scholarships.
“These statues provide a permanent reminder of the footprints that these two legendary greats left not only at Cedar Crest Golf Course, but also on the game of golf,” Dave Ridley, Co-Founder of the I AM a Golfer Foundation, said. “This gift to the City marks a major milestone in our foundation’s efforts to raise awareness of, and appreciation for, this historic golf course.”
Cedar Crest Golf Course was designed by A.W. Tillinghast, one of the most prolific architects in the history of golf, and it continues to be a favorite of Dallas golf enthusiasts. With its rolling terrain, greenside bunkers and tree-lined fairways, the statues of Dr. Sifford and Hagen at Legends Plaza will make an excellent addition to the beautiful course.
“Words cannot express how fortunate we are to have the opportunity to honor the game of golf and these two legends of golf in this way,” Ira Molayo, General Manager of Cedar Crest Golf Course, said. “We are standing on the shoulders of these men today with the hope of inspiring golfers for the next 100 years as well. It’s an honor to have had these legends of golf be crowned as champions on this A.W. Tillinghast gem, Cedar Crest Golf Course.”
