History is being made every second here on earth and therefore it needs to be shared. For some strange reason there is a movement to cover up, hide and disavow that African Americans made meaningful contributions in all walks of life. There are so many pioneers who paved the way.
Sixty-five years ago, Seattle’s William Alfred “Bill” Wright made history when he became the first Black man to win a United States Golf Association championship, winning the U.S. Public Links title in Denver.
Wright, who died at the age of 84 in 2021, began his run to the championship on July 13, 1959, and won the title match July 18. It wasn’t easy. Out of the 64 golfers to qualify for match play, Bill was the 63rd golfer to make it after posting 149 (+5). He didn’t stand a chance to win, or, did he?
The confident Bill Wright believed in himself and he persevered, winning his first three head to head matches easily. He then faced Don Essig III in the semi-finals, who just happened to be the 1957 Champion and he won 1-up with only 23 putts (30 is considered by most to be a good day). Because of his great putting prowess, Wright was dubbed, the “slender putting wizard.” In the final, a 36-hole marathon, Wright made birdie on the first two holes and forged a 4 up lead after 5. He never let go and won the final match 3-2 over Frank Campbell at Wellshire Golf Course in Denver to claim the championship trophy. He made history that week. It would not have been possible without his parents fighting behind the scenes to get their son a handicap. Without a recognized credential, Bill wasn’t allowed to compete and the local clubs in Seattle wouldn’t let him in. They applied and received a handicap from Oregon and once you’re in, you’re in.
Bill was introduced to the game by his parents Bob and Madeline Wright, both avid golfers, at the age of 14. A year later he was Seattle’s junior champion. That’s just how good young Bill was. Not only was he a golfer, he also excelled in basketball and helped his high school team win the state championship in 1954. He used both skills while attending Western Washington University graduating in 1960. That same year he won the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) individual golf championship. He pursued professional golf for a while but without sponsorships, it was too expensive for him to continue. He started a career in education for six years before opening a car dealership in Pasadena and later served as a teaching pro at the Lakes at El Segundo, a nine-hole municipal from 1995 through 2017.
Last year the Seattle Park and Recreation Department, in honor of Wright’s achievement, renamed Jefferson Park GC, the course where he learned to play the game as a teen. The facility is now named: the Bill Wright Golf Complex which consists of the 18-hole course, a short nine and a driving range.
“Our country struggles to realize its tremendous potential because of greed and fear of the people who enjoy prosperity because of our history of racial discrimination and exploitation of people of color. We are celebrating the renaming of the Bill Wright Golf Complex because this memorializes a small part of that history to inspire our youth to ensure that it never happens again,” said Berdell Knowles, President Fir State Golf Club, a member of the Western States Golf Association (WSGA). “From now on, everyone who comes to this historic golf course atop Beacon Hill will learn about this black man’s triumph over institutional racism to earn a living on his elite talent. Our country is built on generations of “white-only” policies that denied resources and opportunities to people of color and created unfair advantages for whites. So, it’s important that we understand why there are such broad gaps in education, wealth, and other economic indices and the outcomes and disproportionate poverty.” (SPAR)
“He felt so thrilled to be the best golfer that day, not the best Black golfer,” Ceta Wright, who was married to Bill for 60 years, said after Bill’s death. “And, of course, afterward he realized that he was a barrier breaker and that was important to him. It was important to everyone, really, and especially in the Black community.” (LAT)
Other Teebits: Keep your eyes on this column because there will be other stories written about African American pioneers who paved the way in an effort to enlighten and inform every reader about their impact on the game of golf.
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