The best golfer from every U.S. state

Mississippi: Pete Brown

While Pete Brown might not be the most successful golfer to ever tee it up on the PGA Tour, he might be one of the most important in the history of the sport. Sure, he never played in The Masters or The Open Championship, and his best finish in a major championship was a meager tie for 33rd in the 1964 PGA Championship. However, that doesn’t matter when you consider all that he had to overcome and what he was able to accomplish during an important time in the United States.

The Port Gibson native started around golf as a caddy in his younger days, but almost saw his career derailed before it ever truly began. In the late 1950s, Brown battled polio, but was ultimately able to recover and resume his professional career, which he began in 1954. It wasn’t until 1963, though, that he grabbed his PGA Tour Card following back-to-back victories at the Negro National Open in 1961-62.

Brown was not the first African American playing during the Civil Rights Movement in the US, but Brown made history in 1964 on the PGA Tour as he became the first African American to win an event on tour as he earned a victory at the Waco Turner Open, etching his name in the golf history books for eternity.

As stated, Brown didn’t have the most decorated career in terms of wins as he won just one other time in his 17 years on the PGA Tour (the 1970 San Diego Open Invitational). Having said that, his impact on the game makes him the easy choice for the state of Mississippi.