Born July 14, 1934 in Dallas, Texas, Lee Elder turned to golf at the young age of nine to help feed his family after both parents died. Turning Pro in 1959, he won his first tournament in 1974, the Monsanto Open, which secured him a spot in the prestigious Augusta, Georgia Masters tournament, the first Black man in history to appear on the course.

But if it hadn't been for another pro, Tex-Mex Lee Trevino, Elder would have never been allowed to play. Trevino, fed up with second-class treatment at Augusta and angered by the rules that prevented Blacks from being invited to play in the Masters, refused to play in the 1970 and 1971 Masters. Trevino went on to win the U.S., British and Canadian Open championships after passing on the Masters, which embarrassed the Master's invitational committee so much that in 1972 they announced that the tournament would now be open to anyone who qualified.

Elder reported later that he had received first-class treatment at Augusta, although he did say that he had gotten nasty letters and phone calls while there. He failed to make the second-round cut, but enjoyed seeing the black caddies and groundskeepers cheering him on from the sidelines.

He has returned to the Masters five more times, finishing in a tie for 17th in 1979. In his career he has had 12 victories on the PGA and Senior Tours, earning more than $1million on each tour. In 1979 he was the first African American to play on a Ryder Cup team, as well as having played in the first integrated tournament in South Africa in 1972.