In 1879, John Shippen Jr. was born in Washington, D.C., to John Shippen Sr., a formerly enslaved man who became a Presbyterian minister, and Eliza Spotswood Shippen. He is widely regarded as the first American-born golf professional.

When Shippen was nine, his father became a minister at the Shinnecock Indian Reservation near Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. Shippen began working as a caddie there and learned golf from the club’s English professional, Willie Dunn Jr. By age 16, he had become an assistant professional and was teaching club members.

Shippen made history at the 1896 U.S. Open, held at Shinnecock Hills. Despite racial discrimination and threats from other competitors to boycott the tournament because Shippen and his Shinnecock friend Oscar Bunn were participating, the USGA president insisted the event would continue. Shippen played exceptionally well and finished among the leaders, ultimately placing sixth after a costly 11 on the 13th hole.

He went on to compete in several more U.S. Opens, with a fifth-place finish in 1902. Shippen spent his career as a golf professional, working at several clubs and eventually serving at Shady Rest Golf and Country Club in New Jersey. He also made and sold his own golf clubs stamped “J. M. Shippen.”

Despite his accomplishments, Shippen was the only Black-American golfer to compete in the U.S. Open for decades. The next Black-American golfer to play in the Open was Ted Rhodes in 1948.