I am a fan of the golfer Sahith Theegala, and because I like him, and the things he has come to represent for me, the Genesis Invitational’s decision to award him a spot in the tournament through the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption left me scratching my head. But the more I thought about it, the more I wondered if the exemption allows us to think through who gets to be a part of the broader American story, particularly during these fraught political times.
According to the tournament website, the exemption “has been given to a deserving golfer from a minority background” since 2009, recognizing “players whose journeys reflect the power of opportunity, perseverance and progress in the game of golf.” In 2017, the exemption was named after Sifford, the great Black golfer whose journey in the game during the 1950s and ’60s was not nearly as smooth nor as meteoric as the tournament host—Tiger Woods.
