Get to know a little more about some of the most notable pioneers in the game.
Founded in 1894, the United States Golf Association is woven into the fabric of the game here in America. It’s rare when a nearly 130-year-old organization makes history, but that’s precisely what the USGA did last week with the election of its new president.
Fred Perpall will serve a three-year term as the 67th president of the governing body, where he will lead the USGA Executive Committee, an all-volunteer, policy-making board that provides strategic direction and oversight to the association’s full-time staff. The significance? He’s the first Black man to hold the position.
After his nomination and subsequent election, Perpall is the latest to add his name to a long list of individuals who have broken down barriers for the good of the game through the USGA. From the figures preserved through the collections at the USGA Golf Museum and Library to modern day champions, celebrate Black History Month and get to know a little more about some of the most notable pioneers in the game.
Kramer Hickok went shot-for-shot with veteran Harris English in one of the most draining and fascinating playoffs.
Kramer Hickok, Jordan Spieth’s former Texas roommate and later his Dallas housemate, went shot-for-shot with veteran Harris English in one of the most draining and fascinating playoffs in the history of the PGA Tour during the 2021 Travelers Championship.
Hickok buried a number of key putts down the stretch and although he lost on the eighth playoff hole, he clearly had won over the crowd at TPC River Highlands, many of whom chanted his name as the playoff wore on.
Hickok thought he had the tournament won on two different occasions. With English plugged in a greenside bunker on the second playoff hole, Hickok started to pump his fist as it appeared a 43-foot birdie putt was going in, but it curled around the cup and lipped out. His par was virtually guaranteed, putting all the pressure on English, but the former University of Georgia All-American drained the seven-footer to save par and extend the playoff.
Here’s a look at the seven longest playoffs in the history of the PGA Tour:
The USGA announced that 25 students from underrepresented communities will receive on-the-job training as part of the Lee Elder Internship during the 122nd U.S. Open on June 16-19 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.
“This bright group of young leaders shows us what the future of golf can and will be,” said USGA CEO Mike Whan. “Only a small fraction of the 2 million golf jobs across our $84 billion industry are held by people from underrepresented communities. It’s our responsibility to continually advance and grow the game through programs that expose more young professionals to the wealth of opportunities that exist, and to elevate their ability to make our game stronger.”
The group of 25 interns includes 15 who identify as female and 10 as male from 22 universities and various countries including the United States, Argentina, the Republic of Korea and Nigeria. More than 200 students from 37 states and five countries applied after the internship that was announced in November 2021.
From the release:
To remove systemic barriers that can impede diverse participation in traditional internship programs, an emphasis was placed on the student’s demonstrated commitment to diversity, drawing from previous and current work or school experiences, referrals and recommendations.
“We are thrilled with the overall interest and the quality of applicants for this first-of-its-kind program,” said Will Fulton, general chair for the 2022 U.S. Open. “This program embodies Lee Elder’s vision and hope for the future of golf and we recognize that diversification is one of the biggest opportunities for the game. Through this program, we hope to connect with those who can help shape the future of golf as potential leaders who may not have been reached without programs like the Lee Elder Internship.”
The world of golf said goodbye to legends and icons in 2021.
The world of golf said goodbye to host of legends and icons in 2021.
The game of golf touches so many and those who contribute to its success come from all over.
The list includes a famous golf-course architect, a key figure in the USGA, Tiger Woods’ coach at Stanford, a pioneer of the game who finally got to participate in the ceremonial Masters tee shot as well as innovators, coaches, and a comedian, as well as golf writers and broadcasters.
As we prepare to turn the calendar to 2022, let’s not forget those who have left their mark on the game.
It was a year in which even the most stubborn have to concede that golf doesn’t exist in a vacuum
As we balance the ledger for 2021, it seems assured that a handful of the year’s most memorable moments will have impact that extends far beyond the confines of the calendar.
Like Hideki Matsuyama’s Masters win, and its promise of inspiring a generation of Asian talent. Or Phil Mickelson’s improbable major championship victory at age 50, setting a new benchmark for elderly excellence. Or Tiger Woods’ car wreck, which cast in stark relief the impermanence of lives and careers, and which summoned a raw appreciation both for what he has gifted us and for whatever his battered body will permit henceforth.
But 2021 was also a year in which even the most stubborn of ostriches had to lift their heads and concede that golf doesn’t exist in a vacuum, that like every sport it is inextricably entwined with the wider world, and that reminders of this fact are often jarring. The painful lessons we learned in ’21 will not conclude with the demise of December.
First came a reckoning with language. The year was nine days old when Justin Thomas missed a short putt in Maui and berated himself with a homophobic slur. His response was swift—he owned it with an immediate and fulsome apology—but swifter still were the factions who rallied around the controversy, one too quick to declare it a capitol offense, the other contemptuously eager to dismiss any hurt as mere political correctness. The ugly episode served notice that the standards of speech and conduct demanded by today’s corporations and consumers (an entirely flexible measure) also apply to this most hidebound of sports.
A few weeks later, the PGA Tour faced a reckoning with its new reality, even if the organization shows no outward sign of having grasped the importance of what happened that Sunday afternoon at Torrey Pines. It was hardly shocking that Patrick Reed acted as his own rules official on the way to winning the Farmers Insurance Open, lifting a ball he claimed was embedded before an actual rules official could arrive to deliver a verdict. Video evidence was inconclusive, but far from exculpatory, so PointsBet—an official gaming partner of the Tour—refunded wagers.
The scrutiny that comes with legalized sports betting is at odds with the Tour’s generous attitude to questionable on-course conduct by its members, a benevolence long personified by the now-departed rules honcho Slugger White, the Mrs. Doubtfire of the nanny state. An insistence that concerned parties are gentlemen, or a reliance on artful wording about intent, is no defense against punters who are convinced that video evidence tells a different story. When it happens again—and it will—the Tour is woefully ill-equipped for the firestorm. Reed’s ball drop will have ramifications that linger well beyond that other ball drop next week in Times Square.
We also saw a reckoning with golf’s shameful past. Lee Elder’s presence at the ceremonial tee shot opening the Masters was as close to an apology as we’ll ever see from Augusta National. It was crudely symbolic that even the lone moment accorded Elder was soiled by Wayne Player, an opportunistic waster who, unlike Elder, owed his place on the tee solely to inheritance and parental indulgence.
Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus clap as Lee Elder is introduced on the 1st tee during the first round of The Masters Tournament. (Photo: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports)
Elder’s death seven months later was a glum reminder of how little real redress he was granted for what he endured, and how few honors he received for what he accomplished. There were tributes aplenty, but words are cheap. Elder died without being honored by the World Golf Hall of Fame, the Masters Tournament or sundry other back-slapping bodies that are forever congratulating themselves on how far golf has come.
Elder’s legacy—that it is necessary to take a moral stand against those who dehumanize others—is hardly less relevant with his passing. It lies at the heart of golf’s reckoning with its future, the specter of which loomed large before 2021 and which will likely continue into ’22 and beyond.
One thing changed this year with the Saudi Arabian government’s effort to hijack professional golf. They recruited a front man, Greg Norman, who drops vapid jargon and false equivalencies as freely as his employer does missiles on Yemeni civilians. But two things haven’t changed: the proposed Super Golf League still hasn’t signed any players, and the scheme is still solely about normalizing the image of a regime that exhibits contempt for human rights.
This reckoning will continue in 2022 and beyond. Oil grants the specter enviable staying power. If nothing else, the Saudis are offering a reminder that the values on which golf prides itself—integrity, honor, respectability—are not immutable, but must be defended against charlatans and chiselers, some of whom are card-carrying members of the PGA Tour.
On Monday it was announced that Lee Elder, who became the first Black man to compete in the Masters Tournament in 1975 at Augusta National Golf Club, has died. He was 87 years old.
At the 2021 Masters, Elder joined Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as an honorary starter on the first tee, but was unable to swing due to his health. As the news broke, the golf world reacted on social media to honor the pioneer for diversity in the game.
Here’s a sampling of how the golf world reacted to the passing of the trailblazing Lee Elder.
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PGA Tour
Lee Elder has passed away at the age of 87.
In 1975, he made history as the first African American to compete in the Masters Tournament.
Lee was honored this past April at Augusta National and his legacy will surely live on. pic.twitter.com/1o05rephKt
Lee Elder was a pioneer in so many ways. Yes, he was the first black golfer to play in @TheMasters, but that simply underlined the hard work Lee put in to further the cause of everyone who has a dream to play on the @PGATOUR and thinks there were too many barriers before them.
Look out for the ones coming behind you. Lee Elder was an incredible contribution to the game and made history because of his talent, not just because he was African-American. I’m fortunate to have had the chance to learn from him. My prayers to the Elder family at this time. pic.twitter.com/FBPtzdmkro
We are very saddened by the passing of Lee Elder, a pioneer who leaves a lasting legacy in our game. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family and friends at this time. pic.twitter.com/OcK4MUnOMs
Lee Elder is joined this morning by special guests including his family, representatives from Paine College and a group of Black PGA professionals. #themasterspic.twitter.com/C9AJSlypF4
We’re saddened by the passing of 45-year PGA Member Dr. Lee Elder, a trailblazer whose legacy has made significant positive impacts on the game we all love. https://t.co/P1jdD25JXx
Lee Elder earned his way to the Masters at the same course that once refused him entry into the clubhouse.
Golf pioneer Lee Elder, who in 1975 became the first Black player to compete in the Masters Tournament at Augusta National, has died.
Elder learned to play the game crosshanded as a caddie in rural Dallas. Ted Rhodes, another black pioneer who served as a mentor, changed him to a traditional grip and Elder would go on to dominate the United Golf Association, the tour for Blacks in the era of the PGA’s Caucasian-only rule, before earning his PGA Tour card in 1967, winning four times and qualifying for the 1979 U.S. Ryder Cup team.
“When I first qualified for the Tour, in 1967, I said I wanted to get that one thing that had not been accomplished out of the way. The Masters was the one tournament that hadn’t been integrated,” Elder once told Golfweek.
Two years before Elder qualified, a group of politicians urged Augusta National to invite Elder, but their request was rebuffed.
Lee Elder has passed away at the age of 87.
In 1975, he made history as the first African American to compete in the Masters Tournament.
Lee was honored this past April at Augusta National and his legacy will surely live on. pic.twitter.com/1o05rephKt
“We are a little surprised as well as being flattered that 18 Congressmen should be able to take time out to help us operate a golf tournament,” Augusta National co-founder Clifford Roberts wrote. “…We feel certain someone has misinformed the distinguished lawmakers, because there is not and never has been player discrimination, subtle or otherwise.”
Elder earned his way to the Masters holing an 18-foot birdie putt on the fourth playoff to beat Peter Oosterhuis in the 1974 Monsanto Open at Pensacola Country Club in Florida, at the same course where a few years earlier he had been refused entrance into the clubhouse and changed his shoes in the parking lot. To understand the world at the time it is important to remember that Elder was whisked away to the clubhouse, and for good reason.
Lee Elder at the Augusta National Golf Course during the 1975 Masters. Photo by The Augusta Chronicle
“I didn’t know why until we got in the car and they said they had received calls that if I won they were going to kill me,” Elder said. “We got so many calls like that.”
During the week of the 1975 Masters, he bounced between two rental houses just to be safe, and stayed up late with friends playing cards and trying to wrap his head around what it meant to break the color barrier at the Masters.
“My friend said to me, ‘Do you really know how much you’ve done?’ I said, ‘I feel like I do. I feel like I made a contribution to society.’ They said, ‘No, my man, you’re breaking the barrier that had been in existence for a long time,’ ” Elder recalled.
On a misty morning, 46 years ago Elder wore green pants, a green shirt and a green sweater. He was asked if he’d like a rainsuit. “And mess up this pretty green?” Elder said.
“Today Lee Elder will inspire us and make history once more,” Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley. “Lee, you have the honors.”
Elder, who uses oxygen to assist his breathing, had a full set of golf clubs at his disposal at the first tee box and used a driver for balance, but he was unfit to hit a shot. When he took a seat to another round of applause, he said, “That feels good.”
During the Golden State Warriors’ recent two-game home stretch, Steph Curry honored Masters icon Lee Elder with a special pair of shoes.
On Thursday, a trio of golf legends served as honorary starters for the 2021 edition of the Masters tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. On the first tee, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus were joined by golf pioneer Lee Elder for the first time.
After being denied entry into the historic tournament despite his qualifications due to being a Black man, Elder was responsible for breaking the color barrier at the Masters in 1975. Elder went on to play in the Masters four times, recording top-20 finishes in 1977 and 1979.
While on the golf course, Steph Curry shared a special congratulations message for Elder’s day as an honorary starter at the Masters. Curry dedicated his next shot on the course to Elder wearing a special “1975” hat with a quote from the legendary golfer reading, “stay the course.”
Special day. In 1975 Lee Elder broke the color barrier at The Masters, this morning he joins as an honorary starter. As Lee says, you gotta “stay the course” and we all gotta stay the course to continue what Lee started with expanding access to the sport. Congrats to this legend. pic.twitter.com/TqNDiB6DEH
Against the Houston Rockets on Saturday, Curry brought his tribute to Elder on to the court at Chase Center. The seven-time All-Star point guard broke out a special pair of Curry Brand sneakers with a Masters-themed colorway. Elder’s “stay the course” quote was striped across the shoe.
While wearing Elder’s kicks, Curry exploded for 38 points on 13-of-21 shooting from the floor with eight rebounds and five assists to lead the Warriors to a much-needed 125-109 victory at Chase Center.
During the Golden State Warriors’ recent two-game home stretch, Steph Curry honored Masters icon Lee Elder with a special pair of shoes.
On Thursday, a trio of golf legends served as honorary starters for the 2021 edition of the Masters tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. On the first tee, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus were joined by golf pioneer Lee Elder for the first time.
After being denied entry into the historic tournament despite his qualifications due to being a Black man, Elder was responsible for breaking the color barrier at the Masters in 1975. Elder went on to play in the Masters four times, recording top-20 finishes in 1977 and 1979.
While on the golf course, Steph Curry shared a special congratulations message for Elder’s day as an honorary starter at the Masters. Curry dedicated his next shot on the course to Elder wearing a special “1975” hat with a quote from the legendary golfer reading, “stay the course.”
Special day. In 1975 Lee Elder broke the color barrier at The Masters, this morning he joins as an honorary starter. As Lee says, you gotta “stay the course” and we all gotta stay the course to continue what Lee started with expanding access to the sport. Congrats to this legend. pic.twitter.com/TqNDiB6DEH
Against the Houston Rockets on Saturday, Curry brought his tribute to Elder on to the court at Chase Center. The seven-time All-Star point guard broke out a special pair of Curry Brand sneakers with a Masters-themed colorway. Elder’s “stay the course” quote was striped across the shoe.
While wearing Elder’s kicks, Curry exploded for 38 points on 13-of-21 shooting from the floor with eight rebounds and five assists to lead the Warriors to a much-needed 125-109 victory at Chase Center.
During the Golden State Warriors’ recent two-game home stretch, Steph Curry honored Masters icon Lee Elder with a special pair of shoes.
On Thursday, a trio of golf legends served as honorary starters for the 2021 edition of the Masters tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. On the first tee, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus were joined by golf pioneer Lee Elder for the first time.
After being denied entry into the historic tournament despite his qualifications due to being a Black man, Elder was responsible for breaking the color barrier at the Masters in 1975. Elder played in the Masters four times, recording top-20 finishes in 1977 and 1979.
While on the golf course, Steph Curry shared a special congratulations message for Elder’s day as an honorary starter at the Masters. Curry dedicated his next shot on the course to Elder wearing a special “1975” hat with a quote from the legendary golfer reading, “stay the course.”
Special day. In 1975 Lee Elder broke the color barrier at The Masters, this morning he joins as an honorary starter. As Lee says, you gotta “stay the course” and we all gotta stay the course to continue what Lee started with expanding access to the sport. Congrats to this legend. pic.twitter.com/TqNDiB6DEH
Against the Houston Rockets on Saturday, Curry brought his tribute to Elder on to the court at Chase Center. The seven-time All-Star point guard broke out a special pair of Curry Brand sneakers with a Masters-themed colorway. Elder’s “stay the course” quote was striped across the shoe.
While wearing Elder’s kicks, Curry erupted for 38 points on 13-of-21 shooting from the floor with eight rebounds and five assists to lead the Warriors to a much-needed 125-109 victory at Chase Center.
