Photos: Lee Elder breaks Masters color barrier in 1975, returns as honorary starter in 2021

Photos: Lee Elder breaks Masters color barrier in 1975, returns as honorary starter in 2021

Lee Elder, the first Black man to play in the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, died Sunday at the age of 87.

Elder broke the color barrier at the famed Georgia golf club in 1975 after winning the 1974 Monsanto Open at Pensacola Country Club in Florida.

Elder was chosen to help kick off the 2021 Masters, joining Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player on the first tee as an honorary starter. Unable to swing and using an oxygen tank to assist his breathing, Elder used a driver for balance. When he sat down during a round of applause after being announced, he said, “That feels good.”

Check out photos of Elder through the years below.

Source: Golfweek https://ift.tt/2V95qPJ