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Trailblazer Lee Elder, first Black man to compete in Masters, dies at 87


Lee Elder, a golf pioneer who in 1975 became the first Black man to compete at the Masters, has died at age 87. Augusta National was one of the last racial barriers left in sports, and when Elder broke it in 1975 at age 40, the hatred he faced for simply showing up and playing was intense. He received tons of hate mail, with some letters threatening his life. (Yahoo! Sports)

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Trailblazer Lee Elder, first Black man to compete in Masters, dies at 87