AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — As Lee Elder’s golf cart approached the first tee, the applause began. When he arrived, the noise only became louder as he made his way to his seat.
And then came the words of Masters Chairman Fred Ridley, who had been 46 years in the making.
Ridley said, “It is my pleasure to say, Lee, you have the honours.”
The first roar of the 2021 Masters Tournament erupted as a result of this.
Elder, the first Black man to play in the Masters, stood up, hoisted his driver skyward for a moment, then nodded, grinned, and waved to the hundreds of spectators who had gathered around the first tee to see history being made. On Thursday morning, he joined Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus as honorary starters for the Masters, marking his first appearance in the ceremony.
“I believe it was one of the most emotional events that my family and I have ever experienced or been a part of,” Elder said.
As is customary, both Player and Nicklaus took a swing and hit drives into the first fairway. This year marks the 60th anniversary of Player’s first Masters victory, and the 35th anniversary of Nicklaus’ sixth and final victory.
Elder did not drink the tea, but his presence was felt on a much larger scale, just as it was in 1975.He became the 10th former player to participate in the honorary starter ceremony, and the first Black man to do so.
Nicklaus said, “I think getting Lee there was the right thing to do, a good thing to do.”
Last year, Augusta National announced that it would award Elder with two scholarships at Paine College, a historically Black school, in recognition of the ongoing national dialogue about racial inequality. One scholarship will be awarded to a male and one to a female player. Augusta National’s decision resulted in the formation of a women’s golf team at the academy, with the club covering the initial costs.
The Elder’s story and, at times, his hardships, have long been familiar to players. In 1969, he invited Elder to perform in South Africa, Player’s home country.
The player said, “It’s very sad to think that in those days, with South Africa’s segregation regime, I had to go to my President and get permission for Lee Elder to come and play in our PGA.” “It’s very depressing.”
They managed to pull it off, and Elder’s tale progressed from there. In 1979, he became the first black player to represent the United States in the Ryder Cup, and doors began to open slowly — very slowly — inside the game. Ron Townsend became Augusta National’s first black member in 1990, seven years before Tiger Woods captured the first of his five Masters titles.
Elder blazed the trail, having grown up in Dallas and entered the game as a caddie, rather than a player, since it was practically the only way Black people could get into the game at the time. In 1997, he returned to Augusta National for Woods’ first victory. The first Black man to compete in the Masters was determined to witness the first Black man win the tournament.
“It always shocked me that presidents of the United States would give these various awards to athletes for their athletic prowess, and here was a man who changed the lives of so many people and changed and placed a spoke in the wheel of apartheid in South Africa and was never given the awards that he deserved,” Player said.
This year, the Masters attempted to correct one of the award omissions by getting Elder back for the honorary start. Bubba Watson and Phil Mickelson, both past Masters champions, stood at the back of the tee box, in their green jackets, to ensure that they were present for the ceremony. Cameron Champ, one of four black players on the PGA Tour, was in the same boat.
“It’s a tremendous honour, and I value it greatly and will always value it,” Elder said.
“It was long overdue,” Nicklaus said.
Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball’s color barrier, was a friend of Elder’s. Hank Aaron, with whom he was close, faced racial threats throughout his career, particularly as he approached Babe Ruth’s home run record. Aaron broke the record on April 8, 1974, and 12 days later, Elder won the Monsanto Open to qualify for the Masters the following year.
A few months ago, shortly before Aaron’s death, Elder sat in Aaron’s office with the Home Run King, sharing memories.
“We spoke about a lot of things, like our teams, our own sport, and how we wished we could support other young Blacks who were growing up behind us,” Elder said. “And I definitely hope that what I’ve done has motivated a lot of talented Black players to keep doing what they’re doing.”
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