AUGUSTA, Ga. – In a year marked by racial injustice, Augusta National announced Monday it would honour Lee Elder with two scholarships in his name at Paine College and an honorary tee shot next year for the first Black player in the Masters.
“It’s mind-boggling every time I think about it,” said Elder, who made his barrier-breaking debut in 1975.
It was about time, according to Masters Chairman Fred Ridley, who said racial injustice and equality have been at the forefront of the nation this year.
“Our question was not so much what we can say but what we can do,” Ridley said.
The Masters for some two decades has provided scholarship money for Paine College, a private, historically Black college in Augusta. The Lee Elder Scholarship will be endowed for one man and one woman on the golf team. The fact Paine doesn’t have a women’s golf program was not a problem. Ridley said Augusta National would pay to start one.
Elder already was looking ahead to next April when he returns to the first tee, this time with a shot that doesn’t count toward a score but is more meaningful to him than when he first played the tournament.
“That is one thing that’s going to be significant to me, because 1975 was just an ordinary shot playing a golf tournament, even though it was the Masters,” Elder said. “It’s not as significant as this shot will be come April 8, 2021. Because my heart and soul will be into this shot.”
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Ridley said he did not know how much it would cost to start a women’s golf program and that was irrelevant. He said Augusta National would pay for everything. “The times I have visited, a lot of the ladies came out to watch the men play,” Elder said. “I heard quite a number of times, `Gee, I wish we had a team so we could play.’ By Augusta National making that decision, it’s now going to give them a chance to fulfil that dream of being able to come to college, get a four-year scholarship plus compete on the golf team.”]]>?Contest ALERT! ?
Tell us which Canadian will have the best finish at #TheMasters and be entered to win a $500 golf shopping spree at your local pro shop or favourite golf retailer. ➡️ https://t.co/vzqdQca2lh pic.twitter.com/esGIzflfCN — Golf Canada (@GolfCanada) October 30, 2020