Who is Dallas’ Lee Elder?
Dallas is home and birthplace to many people who went on to accomplish extraordinary feats, and on July 14, 1934, one of those people, Robert Lee Elder, was born. In 1975, Elder became the first African-American to play in the pinnacle of PGA golf, the Masters Tournament.
Elder was one of ten children, born to Charles and Almeta Elder. At the age of nine years old his father was killed in Germany during World War II, and his mother died three months later. Elder frequently cut classes to work as a caddie, and he began to find a love for golf.
Elder did not play a full round of 18 holes until he was 16. He took jobs in pro shops and locker rooms, in addition to caddying where he developed his game by watching his clients, and playing when he had the opportunity.
Interestingly, his career took a big step after playing a match with heavyweight boxer Joe Louis, which led to Louis’s golf instructor, Ted Rhodes, taking Elder under his wing for three years. Under the tutelage of Rhodes, Elder was able to polish his game and he began playing in tournaments.
After a stint in the army in 1961, he joined the United Golf Association Tour (UGA) for black players. He had a dominant stretch in which he won 18 of 22 consecutive tournaments.
After hustling and sharpening his game, Elder finally reached the honor of earning his PGA tour card in 1968. Throughout his career, Elder brought the world of golf many firsts and entertaining high quality performances.
· The highlight of Elder's rookie season was a memorable playoff loss to Jack Nicklaus at the American Golf Classic. Elder lost to Nicklaus on the fifth hole of sudden death.
· In 1971 Elder accepted a personal invitation from Gary Player to participate in the South African PGA Championship in Johannesburg, South Africa. The event marked the first integrated tournament in the country’s history. He also played in a number of other tournaments in Southern Africa plus he won the Nigerian Open in 1971.
· In 1974, Elder earned his first win on the PGA Tour at the Monsanto Open, which gained him entry to the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia the following year.
· 1975 marked the first time that an African American had qualified for the Masters since the tournament began forty-one years earlier in 1934, which coincidentally was Elder's year of birth.
· In 1979 he became the first African American to qualify for play in the Ryder Cup.
· In 1984 at the age of 50, Elder joined the Senior PGA Tour.
· Finally, he received the highest award given by the USGA, at age 85, with the 2019 Bob Jones Award for Sportsmanship.
To go into more depth about Elder’s experiences and accomplishments in professional golf, below are snippets and quotes from Elder found in a Golf Digest article.
In Elder’s words on winning the Monsanto Open that birthed the Masters invitation, “I’m best known for being the first black man to compete in the Masters, back in 1975. The victory that got me into the Masters was the Monsanto Open in late April 1974. I beat Peter Oosterhuis in a playoff. After I holed out, the PGA Tour’s tournament director, Jack Tuthill, directed me to a police car. That surprised me, because I expected the trophy presentation would be outdoors. I said, “What’s going on, Jack?” Jack, a former FBI man, explained that death threats had been coming in all morning and that it would be safer if the presentation was indoors, back at the clubhouse. Jack said driving there in a police car would be safer than a golf cart. I agreed and understood the situation. It wasn’t the first time a black athlete had received death threats, and it wasn’t the last. But I was thrilled to win.”
Breaking the color barrier at the Masters was a terrific feat, but it wasn’t all joyous for Elder. “Nothing could have prepared me for that week at the Masters. On Monday, there were so many photographers, reporters and TV people wanting time individually, I squeezed in only six holes. The demand put a strain on Augusta National, too. Finally the club arranged a Tuesday press conference in the hope of taking care of everything all at once. The conference lasted three hours. The attention reinforced that I wasn’t representing just a country, but an entire race of people. It was nearly overwhelming.”
“Months before that Masters, the death threats started coming in. I wasn’t concerned about anything happening to me at the club, because security was excellent. I had two bodyguards with me at all times. It was the time away—driving in my car, especially—that worried me. So I rented two houses, one on Washington Road and another on Wheeler Road. Every night, I switched houses. I felt better, but even then there were lots of racist shouts while we were in traffic, cold treatment at local stores, the usual stuff. It was a different time.”
“Early in the week at Augusta, I went with my party of 12 to a well-known restaurant. It was 5 p.m., and they were just opening for the evening. The place was empty. They turned us away, said they were booked up. I’d seen this type of thing before. Maybe they did have reservations for later, but we could have eaten and been gone. The press got wind of the incident and wrote about it. The next day, I got a call from Dr. Julius Scott, president of Paine College there in town. “Lee, I’d like to extend an invitation for you and your party to eat here at Paine every night this week.” I took him up on that, and it was a highlight of the week. Nice and quiet, so welcoming. Good food, too.”
“I chose my outfits carefully. I really wanted to look my best. I wore an orange outfit on Tuesday, and for my practice round on Wednesday wore a red shirt and slacks. I went with a green ensemble for the opening round on Thursday. On Friday, I chose lavender. I had some cool stuff lined up for the weekend but didn’t make it that far. I shot 74 and 78 to miss the cut by four.”
“I was paired with Gene Littler and Miller Barber the first two rounds. Before we teed off, Gene took me aside. “This is probably going to be the hardest round you’ll ever play,” he said. “If I get in your way, just shout at me. I’m a little flaky and can get in my own little world out there, so do what you have to do to get my attention. I’ll understand.” As for Miller, he could be fidgety and distracting to play with, but he played those two rounds like he was in church. I think the club grouped me with them deliberately, to make it easier. I was grateful for that.”
“Even with Gene helping me feel at ease, I’ve never been so nervous as hitting my drive off the first tee on Thursday. It seemed like so much was riding on it, which is silly because it’s only one shot. It was such a strange pressure. I hadn’t been playing well, and as I teed my ball, I made a silent wish that I wouldn’t embarrass myself. I really fought to keep the negative thoughts out. I hit a great tee shot, a nice draw, straight and long. I can’t describe the relief.”
“At every green, both days, the receptions were incredible. The applause was so sincere and respectful, and lasted so long. What amazed me was the number of black people who showed up to watch me play. I couldn’t begin to guess how many there were, but it was far more than I’d seen at a golf tournament before. It dawned on me that many of them probably weren’t affluent. How did so many manage to obtain one of the toughest tickets in sports? The effort they undertook to get there, the financial sacrifices many of them surely had to make, must have been tremendous. I so wanted to perform well for them, or at least comport myself well.”