Editing Joe Louis (section)

==Professional golf==
[[File:Joe Louis golfing 1945.jpg|thumb|left|Louis golfing in 1945]]
One of Louis' other passions was the game of golf, in which he also played a historic role. He was a long-time devotee of the sport since being introduced to the game before the first Schmeling fight in 1936. In 1952, Louis was invited to play as an [[amateur]] in the [[Farmers Insurance Open|San Diego Open]] on a sponsor's exemption, which was announced at the time as the first instance of an African-American to play in a [[PGA Tour]] event<ref name=golf/><ref name="pclrway">{{Cite news |date=January 16, 1952 |title=PGA clears way for Joe Louis to compete in San Diego Open meet |page=6 |work=Daytona Beach Morning Journal |agency=Associated Press |location=Florida |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AgEiAAAAIBAJ&pg=2773%2C2090551}}</ref> (in fact, professional Howard Wheeler was one of seven African-Americans to compete in the Tam O'Shanter Open in Niles, Illinois in 1942, and Wheeler appeared in subsequent PGA-sanctioned events in Philadelphia in the 1940s, qualifying for the 1950 and 1951 U.S. Open).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Full access to the PGA Tour for Black golfers was a 28-year odyssey! |url=https://trenhamgolfhistory.org/2023/02/18/full-access-to-the-pga-tour-for-black-golfers-was-a-28-year-odyssey/ |access-date=February 25, 2023 |last=Trenham |first=Pete |date=February 18, 2023 |publisher=trenhamgolfhistory.org/}}</ref>

Initially, the [[Professional Golfers' Association of America|PGA of America]] was reluctant to allow Louis to enter the event, having a bylaw at the time limiting PGA membership to [[white Americans]]. Louis's celebrity status eventually pushed the PGA toward removing the bylaw, although the "Caucasian only" clause in the PGA of America's constitution was not formally amended until November 1961.<ref name="podfldrs">{{Cite news |date=November 10, 1961 |title=PGA opens its doors to Negroes, world golfers |page=4, section 2 |work=Florence Times |agency=Associated Press |location=Alabama |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QP0rAAAAIBAJ&pg=612%2C1259647}}</ref><ref name="pgashtr">{{Cite news |date=November 10, 1961 |title=PGA group abolishes 'Caucasian' |page=22 |work=Sarasota Herald-Tribune |agency=Associated Press |location=Florida |url=https://news.google.com.org/newspapers?id=qbcqAAAAIBAJ&pg=7100%2C1775561 }}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The change, however, paved the way for the first generation of African-American professional golfers such as [[Calvin Peete]].{{cn|date=May 2025}}

Two weeks after the 1952 San Diego Open, Louis was invited to play in the 1952 Tucson Open. Louis shot a 69 in the opening round and a 72 in the 2nd round.  His 2-round total of 141 enabled him to make the cut. Joe Louis is the only champion athlete from another sport ever to make the cut in a PGA event.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://lenferman.substack.com/p/1952-joe-louis-belts-an-uppercut-cb5 | title=1952 - Joe Louis Belts an Uppercut on the PGA | date=February 3, 2024 }}</ref>

Louis himself financially supported the careers of several other early black professional golfers, such as [[Bill Spiller]], [[Ted Rhodes]], Howard Wheeler, James Black, Clyde Martin and [[Charlie Sifford]].<ref name=golf/> His son, Joe Louis Barrow Jr., would become a national spokesman for diversity in golf and retired in 2017 after serving 18 years as CEO of [[First Tee|The First Tee]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://firsttee.org/2017/11/13/ceo-joe-louis-barrow-jr-reitres/ |title=Celebrating 18 Years of Visionary Leadership to Our Retiring CEO Joe Louis Barrow, Jr. |date=November 13, 2017 |publisher=The First Tee |access-date=February 25, 2023}}</ref>

In 2009, the [[PGA of America]] granted posthumous membership to [[Ted Rhodes]], [[John Shippen]] and [[Bill Spiller]], who were denied the opportunity to become PGA members during their professional careers. The PGA also has granted posthumous honorary membership to Louis.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pga.com/2009/news/pga/08/04/golf_pioneers/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090907135327/http://www.pga.com/2009/news/pga/08/04/golf_pioneers/|url-status=dead|title=PGA of America bestows membership upon late African-American pioneers|archive-date=September 7, 2009}}</ref> A public golf course in [[Riverdale, Illinois]], just south of Chicago, is named for him.