Gate City Open Returns 

Charlie Sifford Helps Revive Event He Won Twice During 1950s 

By STEVE WILLIAMS 

GREENSBORO – After a one-year hiatus, the Gate City Open is back – bigger and better than ever.

An endorsement from Charlie Sifford, who won the second and fourth Gate City Opens in 1953 and 1955, and sponsorship help from Toyota, promise to make 2002 a landmark year in the event’s illustrious history. The tournament has been renamed the Charlie Sifford Gate City Open.

The 43rd edition of the tournament, which will have fields for professionals and amateurs in various divisions based on age and/ or handicaps, is scheduled for Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 at Bryan Park. Both the Champions and Players courses will be used.

“We’re hoping for a return to prominence,” said Steve Bowden, chairman of this year’s event. “This tournament is a tremendous asset to the community. With Toyota making a commitment through Charlie, it gives us a real shot in the arm. It’s a chance to showcase Greensboro as well as having some economic benefit. Hopefully we can get a broad range of participation.”

Since many of the players come from outside the Triad, the economic benefit will tie directly into lodging and dining revenues.

Proceeds of the event will provide college scholarships to Greensboro high school students.

“We’re averaging about 10 scholarships a year,” said James Brock, a volunteer with the tournament since the early 1970s.

The one-year hiatus was due to lack of a sponsor last year.

“We’re glad to see a big sponsor (Toyota) step in and keep the tournament going,” said Chris LeClerc, professional at Bryan Park. “It’s great to have it back.”

The tournament has tremendous historical significance. With its founding in 1952, it was one of the first professional tournaments for African-Americans in the country.

Sifford was one of the first Black players on the PGA Tour, joining in 1960. He notched two PGA Tour wins and two Senior PGA Tour victories.

Brock was Sifford’s caddie in 1953 at the second Gate City Open. “He shot 59 the first day at Nocho Park,” he remembered.

Sifford, now 80, is expected to appear at this year’s event but tournament officials weren’t sure if he would play.

Lee Elder, who won four times on the PGA Tour eight times on the Senior circuit, got some of his early tournament experience in the Gate City, winning five consecutive times in the mid-1960s.

Jim Thorpe, today one of the leading money winners on the Senior PGA Tour, won the Gate City Open in 1977 and 1978 and tied for the 1982 crown.

Today’s fields are diversified and feature some of the area’s best club pros and mini-tour players.

The tournament started with a $1,000 purse and that figure has grown over the years. It reached the $20,000 mark in 1984 and this year’s purse is the largest ever at $53,000.

Of that, $13,000 is set aside for prizes for the amateur flights with the remaining $40,000 going to the professionals. The champion of the regular professional division and the senior professional division will each take home $3,000.

Tournament officials have budgeted for 68 regular pros and 68 senior pros (age 50-over), but basically it’s open to the first 136 pros and the purse will be divided according to the number of players in each division. Based on 68 players in each competition, the top 21 will receive checks.

The event is also open to 120 amateurs and those with handicaps of 7.3 or less will make up the championship flight.  There are also flights for seniors (55-over) and super seniors (65 over). Other than the championship flight, regulars will be divided according to first-round scores.

The top seven finishers in each flight will receive prizes.

There are several other activities associated with the Gate City Open weekend.

A pro-am event is set for Friday before the tournament with a selected number of pros playing with amateurs and sponsors.

A golf exhibition and clinic for juniors will be held at the Bryan Park practice range Saturday morning featuring Dennis Walters.

Walters, who puts on an amazing show from his modified golf cart, is appearing through a grant from the USGA Foundation.

“I am very excited to be a part of the growth of the game of golf and am proud to have support from the USGA Foundation this year,” said Walters.  “The USGA has shown through its actions that it cares not only about the future of the game of golf, but also about improving lives through the game. I think that my show, all about golf lessons and life lessons, fits in very nicely with these overall goals, and I look forward to spreading the message even further.”

An accident on a golf course in 1974 left Walters paralyzed below the waist with no use of his legs. While many golfers would have given up their dreams of pursuing golf as a career when faced with such a challenge, Walters has embraced it.  During his rehabilitation, he found a way to adapt a swivel chair onto a golf cart, allowing him to play from a seated position. Since 1977, Walters has been spreading his passion for golf with his traveling show, hitting balls with trick clubs, through fire, and in rapid succession.

The festive weekend also includes a pair of social gatherings. All players are invited to the cocktail hour and sponsor/player banquet at Bryan Enrichment Center on Aug. 30 beginning at 6:30. After Saturday’s first round, a hospitality social will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Downtown Marriott in Greensboro. Everyone in the field is invited.

Many of the veterans associated with the tournament will pay tribute to George C. Simkins, Jr., one of the original founders of the Gate City Golf Association and a guiding force behind the tournament for many years.

Simkins, who died last November at age 78, is also credited with starting the foundation for the scholarships.

“I’ve never seen a man so dedicated,” said Bill Britt, a retired official with the Greensboro Parks & Recreation Department and a tournament volunteer for 33 years. “He did it mainly so the kids could get scholarships.”