Lee Elder, first Black golfer to compete in Masters Tournament, dead at 87

Lee Elder, who became the first Black American to compete in the Masters Tournament in 1975, has died, according to reports. He was 87.

The PGA Tour confirmed Elder’s death on Twitter Monday morning. No cause of death has been given.

African American Golf Magazine said Elder died on Sunday.

Lee was honored in Augusta earlier this year alongside golf legends Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as part of a celebration of honorary starters who strike the first ceremonial shots of the Masters, a symbolic tribute that had never featured a Black golfer.

Health issues, however, prevented Elder from making a shot during the first tee ceremony.

“Today, Lee Elder will inspire us and make history once again — not with a drive, but with his presence, strength and character,” Fred S. Ridley, the chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club, said at the time, according to The New York Times.

During his appearance at Augusta National in April, Elder said:

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

“But to me, my heart is very soft this morning, not heavy (but) soft, soft because of the wonderful things that I have encountered since arriving here on Monday and being able to see some of the great friends that I have made over the past years, especially like these two gentlemen that are here.”

Tributes to the late golfer poured in on social media as word of his death began to circulate throughout Monday morning.

Elder won four titles in 448 appearances on the PGA Tour, including the 1974 Monsanto Open, which earned him an invitation to the 1975 Masters, according to Golf Digest.

Being the first-ever Black American to be invited to Augusta National, Elder received death threats leading up to the tournament, forcing him into hiding. The distraction of race likely played a role in him missing the cut that year after he woefully shot scores of 74 and 78.

The hurdles he faced that year and his ultimate achievement in the world of golf have been well documented.

Through the years, he returned to the Masters five more times, with his best finish coming in 1979, when he tied for 17th place, according to reports.

His Masters debut was won by Nicklaus, the fifth of his record six victories, according to previous reporting that appeared in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. This year marked the 60th anniversary of Player’s first of three Masters wins in 1961 and the 35th anniversary of Nicklaus’ historic sixth win in 1986.

Twenty-two years after Elder broke the color barrier at the Masters, a young Tiger Woods took the prestigious tournament by storm. Elder was there when Woods won his first Green Jacket in 1997 by a record 12 strokes, the first person of Asian or Black descent to win the major.

It was a historic moment as The Masters had never allowed a Black American to officially join its ranks until 1991.

Elder began his career as a caddie in Dallas and eventually started playing golf. He made money playing others a public course and on the UGA Tour before eventually reaching the PGA Tour. He said he won 21 of 23 events in 1966 on the United Golf Association tour, which was essentially a carbon copy of the PGA for Black players, who were regularly excluded from other top professional golf events.

He credited a playoff loss to Nicklaus at the American Golf Classic at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, with boosting his career. Nicklaus won on the fifth playoff hole.

“I knew that if I could play five extra holes with the great Jack Nicklaus, I knew that I had arrived and that I could play on the tour,” Elder said.

By 1975, Elder had earned an invite to the Masters. Nicklaus said he was “astonished” that Elder was the first Black player because he, Teddy Rhodes and Charlie Sifford were good players. “I thought it was long overdue when he finally got invited,” Nicklaus said.

Elder also became the first Black player in the Ryder Cup, making the American team in 1979, Golf Digest reports.

This story contains reporting that previously appeared in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.