Black golf pioneer Lee Elder dead at 87 — PGA Tour
LOS ANGELES: Trailblazing golfer Lee Elder, the first Black player to qualify for the Masters, has died, the PGA Tour announced on Monday. He was 87.
Elder, who battled racism throughout his career, made history when he earned a place in the 1975 Masters.
The racial barrier-breaking golfer, who was chosen as the ceremonial starter for this year’s Masters, was one of the first Black professionals to play on the tour after the PGA lifted its ban on non-white players in 1961.
He qualified for the PGA Tour for the first time in 1968, and won his first tournament in 1974 at the Monsanto Open in Florida – ensuring him a place in the Masters the following year.
“In 1975, the strongest memory as I recall was how nervous I was going to the first tee,” Elder recalled earlier this year.
“I had a wonderful round that day. Every tee and every green I walked on I got tremendous ovations. Having something like that helped settle you down. I was able to stick with business.”
Elder posted a 74 and a 78 in his historic Masters appearance, missing the cut. However his road to the tournament had been turbulent, with Elder receiving death threats warning him not to play in Georgia.
“It was frightening. You try to eliminate the possibility of anything happening,” Elder said in an interview with CNN, revealing that the hostile reaction to his qualification left him mulling whether or not to play Augusta.
“I did consider not going. It was on my mind and I think the reason why I had thought about it was because it had been so difficult qualifying for the Masters.”