The life of trailblazing Black professional golfer Keith Pearman was celebrated at Mid Ocean Club last month.

Pearman passed away in 2021 at the age of 77 but his memory lives on with an annual tournament celebrating his life and legacy at Mid Ocean, where he served for 30 years as the club’s first Bermudian head professional and golf instructor — the longest tenure in the club’s history.

“This event commemorates someone who always tried to bring people together. Keith had that infectious bond of Bermudian hospitality and love for everyone no matter your colour, your creed, your wealth,” Allan Marshall, the Mid Ocean Club president, said.

“I always adored Keith, with his reputation and his infectious laughter; all the attributes he brought to the table, everything he did for golf and Bermuda, you just had to love him.”

Larry Brangman, who serves on the Ocean View Golf Course executive committee, added: “The early days would have been significant because coloured folks couldn’t play a lot of places.

“The turnout for his memorial tournament just shows he had reached that goal of making sure everybody could play golf.”

Mid Ocean member Valerie Nearon also spoke fondly of the late golfer and Bermuda ambassador.

“Whenever we got together, it was always Keith who had this funny laugh. Even if you were down, he’d bring you back with that laugh of his,” she said.

Brangman added: “This is his legacy and I’m hoping this generation passes on to the next generation — and the next generation understands who Keith was and what he did for golf at Mid Ocean Club, Port Royal and Ocean View.”

Pearman groomed his skills at Ocean View and went on to enjoy success both as an amateur and a professional player and break down barriers that existed in the local game during the era of segregation.

One of the crowning moments of his illustrious career was becoming the first Black Bermudian to win the prestigious Belmont Invitational at Belmont Hills as an amateur in 1969, two years after the desegregation of local golf, after upstaging favourite Louis Moniz while competing in the tournament’s original matchplay format.

The Bermuda Professional Golfers Association founding member also hosted United States president George H.W. Bush for a round of golf during a visit to Bermuda in 1991.

In a personal note on White House stationery, President Bush wrote, “Dear Keith: What a pleasure to play a round with a champ like you during my visit to beautiful Bermuda.”

Pearman first joined the Mid Ocean Club as a golf professional in 1978 and after retiring as head golf professional in 2008 continued on as Golf Pro Emeritus for several years.

He was beloved by many generations of Mid Ocean members as a teacher, confidant and close friend and in retirement he could often be found out on the course or giving a lesson on the range.