The Aces Keep Coming Sifford’s Way, but He Comes Up on the Short End

Charlie Sifford keeps making holes in one in local tournaments, but has trouble cashing in on them.

Sifford, using a two-iron, scored an ace on the 208-yard third hole Friday at Rancho Park during the first round of the $500,000 Security Pacific Senior Classic.

He picked the wrong day and the wrong hole for it. If he had done it on the 17th today or Sunday, he would have won a car. All he got on No. 3 was two under par on the way to a 72, one over.

In the last senior event in Los Angeles, at MountainGate in 1986, Sifford also shot a hole in one. The hole had been designated as worth $100,000 for an ace, but the insurance policy failed to come through and the offer was withdrawn. But when Sifford, an early starter, made his hole in one, the sign proclaiming the $100,000 offer was still up.

Sifford went to court and won a judgment for the $100,000.