Golf
Ian O'Connor, ESPN Senior Writer 9y

Lee Elder: 'Disappointed' Masters milestone not better recognized

Golf

Lee Elder, a four-time winner on the PGA Tour who in 1975 became the first African-American to play in the Masters, said Wednesday he believes Augusta National should have done more in April to commemorate the 40th anniversary of his breakthrough.

Elder was speaking to ESPN.com in advance of the Original Tee Golf Classic in Hamburg, New Jersey, on July 19, when he will be honored at the Wild Turkey Golf Club for making his historic Masters debut after receiving hate mail and death threats.

"At Augusta I felt they should've certainly honored me some kind of way," Elder said, "or with a certificate of merit, anything, to let the public and the nation know, 'Hey, this man made significant strides and happened to break down the barrier for any person of color.' So yes, I was disappointed. Very disappointed."

The Original Tee Golf Classic is an annual event that recognizes the contributions of African-Americans to golf.

Elder stayed in two separate homes during Masters week 40 years ago out of fear that someone might try to act out one of the threats (he shot 74 and 78 without incident and missed the cut).

The 80-year-old Elder was honored three months ago by Augusta, Georgia. 

Mayor Hardie Davis Jr., who issued a proclamation declaring the opening day of the 2015 tournament as "Robert Lee Elder Day," and a reported 300 supporters -- including Hall of Famer Gary Player and the former presidential candidate Herman Cain -- gathered for a celebratory dinner that night at a hospitality house outside of Augusta National.

When contacted Wednesday night, Augusta National spokesman Steve Ethun deferred to club chairman Billy Payne's comments in April.

Asked at his annual pre-tournament news conference whether the club had planned its own ceremony for Elder, Payne said the club was "delighted that the city is honoring Lee.

"It's a wonderful opportunity for he and his friends," Payne said. "As you perhaps know and as Lee knows and has been quoted as saying, we only honor anniversaries as they relate to winners of the tournament. As it relates to Lee specifically on this occasion, we were delighted, delighted, to make significant credentials available to he and his family so they could enjoy and celebrate this week."

Of the tournament badges provided by club officials, Elder said: "It was really nice of them to do that, and I felt that they were trying to say, 'We appreciate it in some way.' But I think that they certainly could have done something a little bit different."

Elder said he didn't ask Augusta National officials why they didn't do more to mark his anniversary.

"I felt it was really not my position to do that," he said. "I felt they knew the history of what happened and felt if they really wanted to acknowledge it, they would have. ... I don't think they put enough emphasis on the fact the color barrier had fallen there. Maybe it was not that important to them. I know that certainly it was important to me."

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