50 years ago today, one man changed The Masters (and golf) forever

Lee Elder Talks To Tiger Woods Before The Final Round Of The 1997 Masters Tournament

Lee Elder broke golf’s racial barrier at the 1975 Masters, becoming the tournament’s first black competitor and paving the way for change in a historically exclusive sport.

Lee Elder made history on 10th April 1975 when he became the first black man to play in the Masters at Augusta National. Despite the PGA lifting it’s ‘color barrier’, which granted less rights and opportunities to black people and people of colour, in 1961, it took another 14 years for the first black person to compete in the Masters.

Before his historic appearance at the Masters, the year Jack Nicklaus won his fifth green jacket, Elder endured a wave of death threats and outright racism. At Pensacola country club, where he qualified for the Masters with his first PGA Tour victory in the 1974 Monoply Championship of Golf, he wasn’t even allowed in the locker room. He was forced to change clothes in the parking lot, simply because he was black.

Fearing for his safety during his time in Augusta in 1975, Elder took extraordinary precautions. He rented two separate houses and moved between them throughout the tournament week to ensure his safety.

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His harrowing experience exposed the racism black golfers faced in golf, and allowed the sports governing bodies to clear a path for future generations, pushing golf toward long-overdue change. While Augusta National itself was fairly slow to change – admitting black members in 1990 and women in 2012 – the Masters was quicker to take steps toward diversity through initiatives aimed at bringing golf to underrepresented communities.

Elder helped to prove that the game of golf should be open to all, regardless of skin colour, ethnicity or background. His perseverance shifted the culture and paved the way for the future of black golfers, such as Tiger Woods.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the 2025 Masters tournament, Augusta Chairman Fred Ridley said, “Lee’s inspiration, his courage and spirit remain truly an inspiration for all of us. We never will forget his enduring legacy that made golf a better game for everyone.”

In 2021, just months before he passed away, he was honored at the Masters as an honorary starter alongside Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.

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