Lee Elder Breaks Golf Color Barrier, Dies aged 87


His first tee shot was right in the middle, but he was way behind in the first two rounds, shooting 74 and 78, and missed the cut to continue playing with four hits over the weekend. Still, it received a good reception from the galleries.

Elder told Golf Digest in 2019: “The Augusta National staff exhibit was particularly touching. Most of the staff were Black, and on Friday, they quit their job to line the 18th lawn as I walked towards the green. I couldn’t hold back my tears. This is the most meaningful admission of what I’ve accomplished by getting there. it happened.”

Elder played six times at the Masters, drawing 17th in the top spot in 1979. He won four PGA Tour events and was a 10-time runner-up, played regularly until 1989, earning $1.02 million from wallets. He also played for team USA in the 1979 Ryder Cup. He joined the PGA Senior Tour in 1984 and is now the Champions Tour and has won eight times, earning more than $1.6 million. He won four tournaments abroad.

Elder and his first wife, Rose Harper, founded a foundation in 1974 to provide college scholarships to members of limited-income families. He supported summer youth golf development programs and raised funds for the United Negro College Fund.

In 2019, Elder received the United States Golf Association’s highest honor, the Bob Jones Award, named after the co-founder of the Masters and presented for outstanding sportsmanship.

Robert Lee Elder was born on July 14, 1934, in Dallas, one of 10 children. His father, Charles, a coal truck driver, During Army service in Germany in World War II, Lee was killed when he was 9 years old. His mother, Almeta, died three months later.



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