Lee Elder tracks the flight of his ball as he teeth during the first round at the Masters in Augusta, Ga., on April 10, 1975. Elder broke the racial barrier as the the first black golfer to play at the Masters and set the stage for Tiger Woods and others to follow suit.
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Lee Elder tracks the flight of his ball as he te te during the first round at the Masters in Augusta, Ga., on April 10, 1975. Elder broke the racial barrier as the the first black golfer to play at the Masters and set the stage for Tiger Woods and others to follow suit.
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Lee Elder, the first black golfer to compete at the Masters, died early Sunday morning at the age of 87.
No cause or details of his death were immediately announced, but the PGA Tour speak it confirmed the Elder’s death to his family.
Although other African-American professional golfers came before him, Elder made history in 1975, breaking the sport’s race barrier when he competed at the National Golf Club. Augusta in Georgia after winning the Monsanto Open, his first professional tournament.
That win qualified him for the prestigious Masters tournament next year. But even then, it remains unclear whether the 40-year-old will be invited to compete for real at a popular tournament, which has yet to be integrated.
In a 1982 interview with NPR, Elder said that before qualifying, several legislators wrote to president Augusta on his behalf “requesting a special invitation for me to play.”
While appreciating the action, Elder said he feels it is wrong and undermines his ability and legitimate right to participate. Accepting such an invitation is tantamount to “entering through the back door,” he said.
In the end, he was extended the same invitation as his peers. And, even though he didn’t make it far in the competition, he came back five more times over the course of his career, taking 11th place in 1979 to end his best career in a major. .
“I don’t want to go down in history just because of this,” Elder said, after his breakout appearance at the Masters. “I want to be remembered, if I am to be remembered, because I was a good golfer.”
The Elder’s early life was full of conflict
One of 10 children, Elder was born in Dallas, Texas in 1934. He was adopted by an aunt and moved to Los Angeles after his parents died when he was 9 years old. .
He became interested in golf after returning to Texas as a young boy, he told NPR.
“I used to live near a golf course and I used to see people hit the ball … and that got me hooked, so I decided to start learning caddying,” he recalls.
But as he grew older and dreamed of playing professional golf as a black man, Elder realized he needed to get out of Texas.
“The reality is, we couldn’t even play in Texas at the time,” he said. “Before 1954, the golf course was still segregated, so we couldn’t play on any public transport.”
Lee Elder (shown here playing at the 1975 Masters) turned pro in 1959, joining the United Golf Association, a tournament exclusively for African-American golfers barred from the PGA Tour due to the “Whites Only” provision.
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Lee Elder (shown here playing at the 1975 Masters) turned pro in 1959, joining the United Golf Association, a tournament exclusively for African-American golfers barred from the PGA Tour due to the “Whites Only” provision.
Lou Krasky / AP
Elder turned pro in 1959, joining the United Golf Association, a tournament exclusively for African-American golfers banned from the PGA Tour due to the “Whites Only” provision.
Nearly a decade later, Elder earned his PGA travel card on his first try in 1968, and in that first year he beat legend Jack Nicklaus to take first place in the American Golf Classic, before suddenly losing. He will continue win four PGA Tour events and eight PGA Championship titles in the senior round of 50 and over.
The racism that plagued Elder throughout his career
Over the years, Elder recounts the blatant and unconcealed bias he faced throughout his career.
Leading up to his historic appearance at the Masters, Elder said he received 100 Deadly Threats.
“I was scared to death,” he told an audience 37 years later.
In fact, he was terrified when Elder moved between two different rental homes that week in 1975, so that would-be bullies sending threatening letters and vile phone calls to his home would kill him. can’t track him.
Another time, less horrifying but still humiliating, he was forced to change in the parking lot of a Pensacola country club because black players were not allowed in the locker room.
Other professional African-American players preceded him, including Charlie Sifford, Howard Wheeler, Bill Spiller and Ted Rhodes, who mentored him to become a better player. He told NPR that they have really borne the brunt of the most brutal racism in the sport.
“But it persists to this day,” he said in 1982.
“Some of the areas we go to, it’s pretty bad. Especially at the country clubs,” he explains. “It’s hard to go to a country club, especially one where no black people have ever played even though there can be quite a few blacks in the community. They are not members of the country club. and haven’t played on that particular golf course.”
In the dressing room or the clubhouse, he added, “the stares are always there.”
Longtime friends and peers react to the news of his death
The Elders were one of three to start honorably – along with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player – in the ceremonial first shots to kick off the 2021 Masters earlier this year.
Despite his poor health and having to wear an oxygen tube when he entered the yard, the 86-year-old man was deeply moved by this recognition.
Jack Nicklaus shakes hands with Lee Elder after hitting the ceremonial first tee during the first round of the Masters golf tournament on April 8 in Augusta, Ga.
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Jack Nicklaus shakes hands with Lee Elder after hitting the ceremonial first tee during the first round of the Masters golf tournament on April 8 in Augusta, Ga.
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“For me and my family, I think it was one of the most emotional experiences I’ve ever witnessed or been involved in,” he said.
“Lee Elder is a pioneer in many fields”, Nicklaus Written on Twitter. “Yes, he was the first black golfer to play at the Masters, but that simply underscores the hard work Lee has put into advancing the cause of all those who dream of playing the PGA Tour. and think that there are too many barriers in front of them. . ”
Fred Ridley, president of the Augusta National Golf Club and Masters, called Elder “a true pioneer in the game of golf.”
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Lee Elder,” Ridley said in a statement.
“Lee is an inspiration to so many young people and women of color not only through his play, but also through his commitment to education and community. Lee will always be a part of history. of the Masters Tournament. His presence will be greatly missed, but his legacy will continue to be honored.”
