NBA Star Stephen Curry to Receive the ‘Charlie Sifford Award presented by Southern Company’ for Advancing Diversity in Golf

By by Stacy M. Brown

Curry to Receive Award as Part of World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on June 10, 2024.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL. (October 17, 2023) – The World Golf Hall of Fame announced today that NBA star Stephen “Steph” Curry will receive The Charlie Sifford Award presented by Southern Company, which honors recipients for their spirit in advancing diversity in golf. Curry will be presented the award on Monday, June 10, 2024, at the World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony presented by CME Group held during the 124th U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C.
The Charlie Sifford Award was created in 2021 to honor an individual who personifies Sifford’s groundbreaking achievements through perseverance, confidence, respect, and adaptability. Curry will be recognized as the recipient of The Charlie Sifford Award during the 2024 World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony presented by CME Group, at which Padraig Harrington, Sandra Palmer along with the late Johnny Farrell, Beverly Hanson, Tom Weiskopf and the 13 LPGA Founders will be inducted as part of the World Golf Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
“I’m incredibly honored to be chosen as the recipient of this year’s 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.”
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 D-1 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 1 level in school history.
“Steph Curry has shown passion and a commitment to giving more opportunities to young people who do not have access to the game of golf,” said Greg McLaughlin, CEO, World Golf Hall of Fame. “Steph’s dedication in advancing diversity in golf epitomizes the groundbreaking work demonstrated by Charlie Sifford. 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 Steph – 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, 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.”
The World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony presented by CME Group will be held on Monday, June 10, 2024, at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C. as part of the playing of the 124th U.S. Open Championship and the Hall of Fame Museum’s opening on the United States Golf Association’s (“USGA”) Golf House Pinehurst campus next year. In July 2022, the World Golf Hall of Fame and USGA announced plans to create a new visitor experience for the Hall of Fame in the historic golf community.
The Underrated Tour presented by KPMG is built upon three key pillars – equity: the quality of being just and fair; access: the ability, right or permission to enter; and opportunity: a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something. The Underrated Tour utilizes golf as a platform to offer young, overlooked golfers special programming experiences, including an ongoing speaker series and networking events with brands and corporations, allowing them to understand what it means to make connections and build successful careers.
The Charlotte, North Carolina native was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft out of Davidson College. Since joining the NBA, he has been selected to eight All-NBA Teams and voted league MVP twice. Curry has won four NBA Championships with the Warriors. Curry has played in professional and celebrity golf tournaments with success. He played in the Ellie Mae Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2017 and 2018. He won the 2023 American Century Championship for celebrity golfers at Lake Tahoe in July.
Southern Company serves as presenting sponsor of the Charlie Sifford Award, further expanding the organization’s role in celebrating golf’s most significant individuals, as the longtime presenting sponsor of the PGA TOUR’s annual Payne Stewart Award. In 2022, Southern Company presented the Charlie Sifford Award to Renee Powell.
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), 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. Sifford was inducted into the Hall of Fame (2004).