Masters Honorary Starter Lee Elder Passes the Torch of Hope to 12 Black PGA Members
By Bob Denney, PGA Historian Emeritus
Published on
Thursday, April 15, 2021
Center - Lee Elder, PGA L-R (standing): Kendall Murphy, PGA; Kennie Sims, PGA; Gerry Hammond, PGA; Maulana Dotch, PGA; Rich Jones, PGA; Wyatt Worthington, PGA; Howie Pruitt, PGA; Scooter Clark, PGA; Renee Powell, PGA; Jeff Dunovant, PGA; Earl Cooper, PGACourtesy of Augusta National Golf Club
PGA Member Lee Elder, who lived the dream of competing in the spring in Augusta, Georgia, has repeatedly felt the impact of the month of April upon his life.
It was April 21, 1974, when Elder won the Monsanto Open, guaranteeing he would become the first Black golfer to earn a berth in the 1975 Masters.