Lee Elder, 1st Black golfer to play Masters, dies at age 87

Golf pioneer Lee Elder has died astatine the property of 87.

"Lee was a bully player, but astir important[ly], a bully antheral who was precise good respected by countless people. The crippled of play mislaid a leader successful Lee Elder," 18-time large champion Jack Nicklaus said connected Twitter successful absorption to proceeding Elder's passing.

Elder broke down radical barriers arsenic the archetypal Black golfer to play successful the Masters and helium paved the mode for Tiger Woods and others to follow.

Elder made past successful 1975 astatine Augusta National, which had held an all-white tourney until helium received an invitation aft winning the Monsanto Open.

Elder missed the chopped but everlastingly stamped himself arsenic a groundbreaking fig successful a athletics ne'er been known for radical tolerance.

Twenty-two years later, Woods became the archetypal Black golfer to don a greenish jacket, the Associated Press reported.

The PGA Tour said Elder died aboriginal Sunday successful Escondido, California.

He had been successful mediocre wellness and wore an oxygen conduit beneath his chemoreceptor erstwhile helium appeared astatine the opening of the Masters successful April.

"Lee Elder was a pioneer successful truthful galore ways. Yes, helium was the archetypal achromatic golfer to play in, but that simply underlined the hard enactment Lee enactment successful to further the origin of everyone who has a imagination to play connected the and thinks determination were excessively galore barriers earlier them," Nicklaus said.