Tag: Lee Elder

Elder statesmen: Lee Elder has his day in the sun at the Masters

Lee Elder broke the color barrier at the 1975 Masters and was an honorary starter alongside Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player this week.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The ovation began as Lee Elder approached the first tee at Augusta National Golf Club in a golf cart and reached a crescendo as he stood with the help of a cane and waved his right hand.

“Today Lee Elder will inspire us and make history once more,” Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said. “Lee, you have the honors.”

Elder, 86, who uses oxygen to assist his breathing, had a full set of golf clubs at his disposal 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.”

“I was so afraid that was going to happen,” his wife, Sharon said. “He just didn’t feel well at all this morning.”

None of that mattered. This moment – long overdue – belonged to Elder, a trailblazer in every sense of the word, and he soaked it all in.

“I think it was one of the most emotional experiences that I have ever witnessed or been involved in,” Elder said. “It is certainly something that I will cherish for the rest of my life because I have loved coming to Augusta National.”

They all came to see Elder in his mint-green shirt on the first tee at Augusta National Golf Club one more time. Masters champions Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Charles Coody and Nick Faldo and fellow contestants Corey Conners and Cameron Champ, one of the few minorities on the PGA Tour and lone Black representative in the 88-man field.

“It’s been a very long time since I’ve come to this,” Faldo said of the honorary starter ceremony. “But I didn’t want to miss this one.”

Neither did Melvin, a worker at the Augusta National clubhouse with his uniform and nameplate intact, as did NFL Hall of Famer Lynn Swann and his fellow Augusta National member Condoleezza Rice, both looking resplendent in their green jackets. Rice, for one, begged out of a potential conflict to be there.

“I texted that I’d like to be on the tee,” Rice said.

Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus were there, too, in their traditional roles as First Tee Starters, but they were overshadowed by Elder, who 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 he’d 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.

Masters
Honorary starter Gary Player greets Jack Nicklaus at the 1st tee during the first round of The Masters. (Photo: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports)

“I wanted it so badly,” Elder once told Golfweek. “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.”

Two years before Elder qualified, a group of politicians urged Augusta National to invite Elder, but their request was rebuffed.

“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.

“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.”

More: Lee Elder’s honors shine spotlight on quest for more Black representation in golf

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, 36 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.

What he remembered most from that fateful day when he shot 74 during his Masters debut wasn’t all that different from the response he experienced one more time today.

“Every tee and every green that I walked on, I got tremendous ovations,” he said. “I think when you receive something like that, it helps to settle down, because I’ll tell you, I was so nervous as we began play that it took me a few holes to kind of calm down.”

All these years later, Nicklaus remembers being “astonished” that a Black player hadn’t played in the Masters yet, given the talent of the likes of Rhodes, Pete Brown and Charlie Sifford, and that Elder would be the first.

“I thought it was long overdue when he finally got invited,” Nicklaus.

So was this celebration of Elder.

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Masters: Lee Elder’s honors shine spotlight on quest for more Black representation in golf

Cam Champ, playing in his second straight Masters, said it’s big for Elder to be the symbol for Black success on the course.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Lee Elder was a pioneer in integrating golf.

Yet, 46 years after he broke the color barrier at golf’s biggest stage, those in the game say there’s still more work to be done at growing and diversifying golf.

“I think there’s still a lot of work; a lot of work to do. I just think people need to come together and realize where we are, where the game is and where it’s going,” said Cameron Champ, a 25-year-old biracial player on the PGA Tour. “Obviously, COVID has brought a new light to the game, but in order for it to grow and in order to see more minorities and people of color out here, something has to change.”

In recent months, Dr. Lee Elder, who received an honorary doctorate from Paine College on Tuesday, has again resurfaced as one a prominent figure in diversifying the game of golf.

It made perfect sense for him to join Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player – who helped Elder first break the color barrier at the South African PGA Championship – as honorary starters for the 85th Masters Tournament.

“Tomorrow morning we also will reflect on the moment at Augusta National in 1975 when Lee Elder bravely broke barriers as his name was announced on the first tee,” said Fred Ridley, Masters chairman at his news conference on Wednesday. The ceremony is set for 7:45 a.m. ET.

Photos: Lee Elder at the Masters | Cameron Champ at the Masters

Champ, who will be playing in his second straight Masters, said it’s big for Elder to be the symbol for Black success on the course.

“For us, that’s the people who I look up to,” Champ said. “I know who my grandfather did. So, it definitely means a lot, again, to kind of learn from him and kind of take — kind of pick things out and just kind of pick his brain.”

Elder was the first Black man to play in the South African PGA Championship during apartheid in 1971. Elder then became the first Black golfer to play in the Masters in 1975.

After Augusta National Golf Club announced in November that it would be endowing two scholarships in Elder’s name at Paine and would be contributing to start a women’s golf program, Champ said he was inspired to assist Prairie View A&M, a historically black university just outside Houston.

With the efforts of Champ and Augusta National as well as basketball superstar Stephen Curry assisting with Howard’s golf program, there’s been a visible increase in support for opportunities in golf the for people of color.

“We’re doing just a little bit of what we can do with our resources and the people we know, but with the Tour and, like I said, Augusta doing a lot of things and many other organizations, it’s going to take a whole community to be able to bring it back up to where I think it needs to be and where a lot of people probably think it needs to be,” Champ said.

Elder added that it takes corporate assistance as well.

“The young Black people that are trying to get to those heights, they don’t have it right now because they don’t have the financial backing that will help them get to that height,” Elder said. “So, I hope that more of the corporate world will look at them and take the step to make sure that they will help them get to that point because that’s what we need.”

Since Elder, there have been five Black players to play in the Masters.

In 1997, Tiger Woods became the first Black golfer to win the Masters. He went on to win four more green jackets, most recently in 2019. Elder was in attendance for Woods’ first one.

Golf has come a long way since 1975. With all the milestones set and barriers crossed by Elder, he’s the perfect example for a change in a predominantly white sport.

Following the win in 1997, Earl Woods said that Woods’ win would “open up a lot of doors.” Since Woods’ historic victory, Champ is the only Black golfer to win on the PGA Tour and appear in the Masters.

BMW Championship
Cameron Champ at the BMW Championship at Olympia Fields Country Club. (Photo: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports)

And there’s still progress that must be made.

“Obviously, I like it because it’s who I am, but it’s just like, I have to do that,” Champ said of being a voice on the PGA Tour. “Again, it’s a subject, again, that hasn’t been brought up since everything’s happened. It just kind of gets pushed to the back burner like it does always.

“Just trying to keep it going and trying to create more foundation around it to get it going and get it building because, like I said … social injustice or equality or race — it’s only talked about when bad incidents happen, which is kind of unfortunate. You know, like I said, just got to keep pushing.”

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Golfweek Rewind: Nov. 16, 2020

In this special Master’s edition of Golfweek Rewind, JuliaKate E. Culpepper recaps the 2020 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, where Dustin Johnson won his first green jacket.

In this special Master’s edition of Golfweek Rewind, JuliaKate E. Culpepper recaps the 2020 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, where Dustin Johnson won his first green jacket.

Better late than never: Augusta National finally salutes trailblazer Lee Elder

Forty-five years after Lee Elder became the first Black man to play in the Masters, the club is recognizing his trailblazing achievement.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Forty-five years after Lee Elder became the first Black man to play in the Masters, he finally is being recognized by the club for his trailblazing achievement.

Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, announced that the club will be establishing scholarships in Elder’s name at nearby Paine College, a Historically Black College, and also invited him to be an honorary starter for the 2021 Masters.

“At age 40, playing in the 39th Masters, Lee delivered a simple but strong message that resonated throughout the world. That message was unequivocal: ‘I belong,’” Ridley said. “The courage and commitment of Lee Elder and other trailblazers like him inspired men and women of color to pursue their rightful opportunity to compete and follow their dreams. But in reality, that opportunity is still elusive for many. We have a long way to go, and we can and we must do more.”

Elder recounted that he received a phone call from Ridley about 10 days ago, shortly after having breakfast and shed a few tears when he hung up the phone.

“It was such wonderful news,” he said. “It’s something I’ll cherish for a lifetime.”

Masters: How to stream, watch on TV | Tiger’s history at Augusta

Elder, 86, was one of 10 children, rising from the caddie ranks to dominate the United Golf Association, the tour for Blacks in the era of the PGA’s Caucasian-only rule, to earning his card in 1967 and winning four times on the PGA Tour and qualifying for the 1979 U.S. Ryder Cup team. He was awarded the 2019 Bobby Jones Award, the USGA’s highest honor, which recognizes an individual who demonstrates the spirit, character and respect for the game exhibited by Jones.

Lee Elder hits the ball from a sand trap on the 18th hole at Augusta National Golf Club on April 10, 1975.

Elder broke the color line at the Masters in 1975 after winning the 1974 Monsanto Open in Pensacola, Florida. Prior to that, he was forced to change clothes in the parking lot because members wouldn’t allow him into the clubhouse and played a tournament in Memphis with a police escort after receiving death threats. Early in the week at the 1975 Masters, he was denied service at an Augusta restaurant. When Dr. Julian Scott, president of Paine College, learned of this slight, he called Elder and said the school’s chef would be at his disposal and invited him to eat his meals on campus. Thus began Elder’s long association with the school.

He recalled the first time he drove down Magnolia Lane – in a limousine, no less – more fondly.

“The shaking just starts when you turn off of Washington and get to the gate,” he said with a smile.

It is a fitting gesture for Augusta National, which was slow to welcome people of color and women to its membership, to honor Elder’s pioneering spirit, and it comes at a time when heightened racial unrest in this country suggests not much has changed since Elder made his first of six appearances here between 1975 and 1981, with a tie for 17th in 1979 his best finish.

“There’s been a lot said about racial justice and opportunity, and our question was not so much what can we say, but what can we do,” Ridley said.

The club’s announcement continues a recent trend for Augusta National to emphasize inclusion and growing the game – from the Drive, Chip and Putt and Augusta National Women’s Amateur to the Latin American Amateur and Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. The latest scholarship effort offers an opportunity for both young men and women to compete competitively at Paine College. (The school has had a men’s team since 2005 but the women’s team will be created from scratch. Details still need to be ironed out for the scholarships, a school official said, but Augusta National committed to fund 100 percent of the cost.)

“When we come up with an idea that we think has merit and we execute on it, we always ask ourselves, why didn’t we do it earlier and I think it’s a fair question and I think it’s good to ask that question,” Ridley said.

As for Elder joining Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as the honorary starters at the 85th Masters in April, Ridley said he is hopeful that patrons will be able to attend the occasion. It also should give Elder proper time to prep for his big day. He slipped off the sidewalk at a golf club in San Diego, where he lives, and bruised his right knee two weeks ago and used a cane and a helping hand to get around Augusta National.

“Come April 8th,” he said, “I’ll be ready.”

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Lee Elder to join honorary starters at 2021 Masters; Augusta announces HBCU scholarships in his name

Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National, announced that Lee Elder will join Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player on the first tee at 2021 Masters.

Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, addressed media on Monday morning to announce that Lee Elder, the first Black man to compete in the Masters Tournament when he teed it up in 1975, will join Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player on the first tee of the 2021 Masters as an honorary starter.

In addition to the announcement that Elder would take his place among Masters legends next year came news of the creation of a Lee Elder Scholarship. Two scholarships in Elder’s name will be awarded annually to a player who competes on the men’s golf team at Paine College, a Historically Black College and University located in Augusta, and one to a player on the women’s team.

That there currently is no women’s team was no hurdle for Augusta. Ridley also announced that the club would fully fund the creation of one.

“We would like to thank our friends at Paine College, especially President Dr. Cheryl Evans Jones, who immediately embraced the idea of honoring Lee Elder together,” Ridley continued. “Through this partnership, we look forward to further cultivating our relationship with Paine College, helping the school create its first women’s golf program and celebrating Lee Elder’s distinguished legacy through these scholarships.”

After Elder’s first Masters start in 1975, he qualified for five consecutive years, from 1977-81. His best finish came in 1979, when he tied for 17th.

“The opportunity to earn an invitation to the Masters and stand at that first tee was my dream and to have it come true in 1975 remains one of the greatest highlights of my career and life,” Elder said. “So to be invited back to the first tee one more time to join Jack and Gary for next year’s Masters means the world to me.”

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