美巡赛周一证实，李埃尔德是第一位参加美国大师赛的黑人高尔夫球手，他已经去世，享年
87 岁。
埃尔德在 1975 年的著名比赛中突破了奥古斯塔的比赛障碍。
他在 2021 年大师赛上获得了荣誉，与杰克·尼克劳斯和加里·普莱尔一起作为荣誉先发，参加了开始锦标赛的第一次开球仪式。
埃尔德在 2015 年告诉 CNN，他在乔治亚州奥古斯塔的大师赛处子秀是一次“非常伤脑筋”的经历。
“我颤抖得很厉害，我什至不知道我是否能够开球，”他说。
“我不知道我是如何度过难关的，只是在全能者的帮助下我到达了那里并且能够将球放在发球台上。”
先驱
埃尔德在 1960 年代和 70 年代期间闯入了美国，那是众所周知的种族关系动荡时期。
在这样做的过程中，他成为了高尔夫最知名的面孔之一，但这也带来了问题。
在一次比赛中，他被拒绝进入会所，被迫在停车场换车；在另一场比赛中，他的球被一名观众扔到了树篱上。
即使在他突破大师赛的前一年，埃尔德也收到了恐吓和威胁，其中大部分警告他不要去乔治亚州——其中一些让他明白如果他这样做会发生什么。
“这太可怕了。你试图消除任何事情发生的可能性，”他说。
“这是在大师赛期间租两间房子的部分原因。这背后的逻辑是我们不想让人们知道我住在哪里。”
埃尔德因在佛罗里达州彭萨科拉的锦标赛胜利而获得了美国大师赛的参赛资格。
但这是对他的四个美巡赛冠军中的第一个的负面反应，他考虑接受美国大师赛的邀请是否正确。
“我确实考虑过不去，”埃尔德说。 “这是我的想法，我认为我之所以考虑它是因为获得大师赛资格非常困难。
他说他花了大约一周左右的时间才下定决心。 “我知道这是我参加巡回赛以来就一直想要的东西。
“我想是因为有这么多关于没有黑人在奥古斯塔踢球的讨论，毕竟，我没有资格也不去。”
虽然他继续错过晋级，但他又五次回归，在 1977 年和 1979 年并列第 19 名和第 17 名。
在 1979 年以 17-11 战胜欧洲的比赛中，埃尔德成为第一位代表美国莱德杯球队出场的黑人。
蕾妮鲍威尔是第二位参加女子职业高尔夫协会 (LPGA) 巡回赛的黑人女性，也是埃尔德的朋友，她在 Facebook 上发帖称，她对这一消息“非常难过”。
“李上周打电话给我，说要在今年夏天一起做一个项目，”鲍威尔说。
“在同一年赢得美国联合高尔夫球手协会 (UGA) 全国冠军后，我们实际上加入了我们的透视巡回赛。对于那些不知道的人来说，UGA 是非裔美国高尔夫球手的业余团体，其中包括女子、男子组，初中生，一个职业赛区，在美国种族隔离时代，他们经营着一系列的赛事
“随着岁月的流逝，李和我成为多拉 JC Penney 团队锦标赛的搭档。今年，当李与杰克·尼克劳斯和加里·普莱尔一起被授予名誉首发球员时，我自豪地站在奥古斯塔国家队的第一个发球台旁边。打开大师。”
除了打破障碍的外表外，埃尔德还在 2020 年获得了大师赛的荣誉，并以他的名义宣布了当地大学的奖学金。
奥古斯塔国家高尔夫俱乐部主席弗雷德雷德利透露了佩恩学院的李埃尔德奖学金，佩恩学院是一所位于奥古斯塔的历史悠久的黑人学院和大学 (HBCU)。每年将颁发两项奖学金，一项授予参加男子和女子高尔夫球队比赛的学生运动员。
Lee Elder, the first Black golfer to play at the Masters, dies at 87
(CNN)Lee Elder, who was the first Black golfer to play at the Masters, has died at the age of 87, the PGA Tour confirmed on Monday.
Elder broke through Augusta's race barrier at the 1975 edition of the famous competition.
He was honored at the 2021 Masters, joining Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as an honorary starter in the ceremonial first tee shot to begin the tournament.
Elder told CNN in 2015 that making his Masters debut in Augusta, Georgia, was a "very nerve-racking" experience.
"I was shaking so badly, I did not know if I was even going to be able to tee up the ball," he said.
"How I got through it I do not know, just with the help of the Almighty I got there and was able to put my ball on the tee."
A pioneer
Elder broke into the game in the US during the 1960s and 70s, a notoriously volatile period for race relations.
In doing so, he became one of golf's most recognizable faces, but that came with its problems.
At one tournament, he had been forced to change in the parking lot after being refused entry to the clubhouse; during another, his ball had been hurled into a hedge by a spectator.
Even in the year leading up to his breakthrough Masters appearance, Elder received intimidation and threats, much of which warned him not to travel to Georgia -- some of it made plain to him what would happen if he did.
"It was frightening. You try to eliminate the possibility of anything happening," he said.
"That was part of the reason for renting two houses during the Masters week. The logic behind that was the fact we did not want the people to know where I was staying."
Elder had qualified for the Masters courtesy of a tournament victory in Pensacola, Florida.
But such was the negative reaction to the first of his four PGA Tour titles, he considered whether accepting the invitation to the Masters was the right thing to do.
"I did consider not going," Elder says. "It was on my mind and I think the reason why I had thought about it was because it had been so difficult qualifying for the Masters.
He said it took him about a week or so to make up his mind. "I knew it was something I had wanted ever since I came on to the Tour.
"I think the reason why was there had been so much talk about no Black man playing at Augusta, and after all that, I wasn't going to qualify and not go."
Though he went on to miss the cut, he returned a further five times, tying for 19th place in 1977 and 17th in 1979.
Elder would go on to become the first Black man to represent the United States Ryder Cup team when he played in the 17-11 win over Europe in 1979.
Renee Powell, the second Black woman to compete on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour and Elder's friend, posted on Facebook that she was "very saddened" by the news.
"Lee had called me last week about doing a project together this summer," Powell said.
"We actually joined our perspective Tours together after both winning the United Golfers Association (UGA) National in the same year. For those who don't know, the UGA was an amateur body of African-American golfers that included divisions for women, men, junior boys and girls, and a professional division. They operated a series of tournaments during the era of racial segregation in the U.S.
"As the years went by, Lee and I were partners in the JC Penney Team Championship at Doral. This year, I was proudly standing next to the first tee at Augusta National when Lee was given Honorary Starter status alongside Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player to open the Masters."
As well as his barrier-breaking appearance, Elder was honored by the Masters in 2020 with the announcement of scholarships at local colleges in his name.
Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, revealed the Lee Elder Scholarships at Paine College, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) located in Augusta. Two scholarships will be awarded annually, one each to a student athlete who competes on the men's and women's golf team.
