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Lee Elder at the Masters 1975 in Augusta
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- / dpa
He was the first black golfer to play in a Masters tournament and was a pioneer of his sport: Lee Elder died on Monday at the age of 87.
The native Texan made history at Augusta National in 1975 because he had received an invitation to the tournament, which until then had only been reserved for whites.
This was preceded by Elder's victory at the Monsanto Open.
In the major tournament, he missed the cut by four strokes.
With this participation, Elder paved the way for the careers of others, such as golf star Tiger Woods.
As recently as April, Elder had attended the traditional Masters Opening Ceremony alongside fellow golf legends Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.
The elite club in Augusta had only accepted its first black member in 1990.
aha / sid / dpa