AUGUSTA, Ga. – Lee Elder was 40 years old when he made history as the first Black player to tee it up at the Masters, after so many prime years had already been stolen from him by the scourge of racism.
When Augusta National finally extended him the long-overdue honor of serving as an honorary starter, Elder's fragile, 86-year-old body wouldn’t allow him to take even a single swing alongside Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.
Sitting in a chair at the first tee, an oxygen tube running beneath his nose, Elder listened intently to a glowing introduction by club chairman Fred Ridley before struggling to get his feet Thursday morning.