AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Lee Elder was the first Black player to tee it up at the Masters. But that achievement came only after so many prime years were stolen from him by the scourge of racism. When Augusta National extended Elder the long-overdue honor of serving as an honorary starter, his 86-year-old body wouldn’t cooperate. Instead of taking a ceremonial swing alongside Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, Elder could only manage a wave and a smile. The emotional ceremony to start the Masters was a sad reminder of how much the game of golf missed by excluding so many for so long.
