AUGUSTA, Ga. — Fifty years ago, when Lee Elder broke barriers as the first Black golfer at the Masters, he preferred to let his golf speak for itself.
`I`m not talking,` Elder stated to reporters on April 7, 1975, wary of misinterpretation.
His wife and agent confirmed his resolve, explaining, `Lee believes this is the fairest approach. He`s here to play golf and wishes to focus solely on that.`
However, Elder`s caddie, Henry J. Brown, a taxi driver from Augusta, Georgia, was never one to shy away from words. He confidently asserted that if Elder didn`t perform well against golf legends like Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Johnny Miller, it wouldn`t be due to his caddying.
`I`m the best,` Brown declared, boasting his intimate knowledge of the course. `I can navigate this course in reverse. Lee just needs to stay composed. I guarantee he won`t be out-caddied.`
While Elder`s participation marked a historic moment, challenging racial barriers at the prestigious Masters Tournament, it also introduced a remarkable personality to the sport. Henry Brown`s story, however, remained largely untold for decades.
`Henry Brown was an incredible character and a fantastic golfer,` recalled Dave Wilmes, who became friends with Brown in South Bend, Indiana, in the early 1980s. `He was a master on the course, especially around the greens. And he loved to show off his skills.`
For the first four decades of the Masters, participation was limited to white golfers, with Black individuals serving exclusively as caddies. By the early 1970s, Brown hoped Elder`s presence could challenge this norm. For four years, he had expressed his desire to caddie for Elder if he qualified for the Masters.
Elder secured his spot by winning the Monsanto Open on April 21, 1974, overcoming Peter Oosterhuis in a playoff. Soon after, Masters Chairman Clifford Roberts extended an invitation to Elder for the 1975 tournament.
Although Pete Brown and Charlie Sifford preceded Elder as Black winners on the PGA Tour, Elder was the first to qualify for the Masters following revised entry criteria that opened the tournament to Black golfers.
Upon Elder`s arrival at Augusta National, Brown was there to greet him. Despite his confidence, Brown wasn`t considered the most renowned caddie at Augusta National. That reputation belonged to figures like Willie Peterson, who caddied for Nicklaus`s early Masters victories, Willie `Pappy` Stokes, or Nathaniel `Iron Man` Avery, associated with Arnold Palmer`s wins. Yet, Brown had already been part of Masters history.
In the 1968 Masters, Brown caddied for Roberto De Vicenzo, involved in a famous scorecard error that cost him a playoff opportunity. De Vicenzo, who birdied the 17th, mistakenly signed for a par, resulting in him missing a playoff by one stroke. Brown later told golf writer John Fineran about his attempt to confront Tommy Aaron, believing he had wronged De Vicenzo.
Brown also caddied for Bob Goalby and Art Wall Jr., a 1959 Masters champion, in subsequent years.
As Elder prepared for his first Masters round on April 10, 1975, nerves were evident. He even joked about mistaking a pencil for a cigarette lighter. Trying to ease the tension, he inquired about rain, as the day was already overcast and drizzling.
Jim Brown, the former NFL star, watched Elder`s opening tee shot. Elder`s supporters were present, with him receiving more tournament badges than Nicklaus and Palmer.
Despite initial jitters fading, Elder and Brown`s caddie-player relationship had a learning curve. Brown relied on visual distance estimation, while Elder preferred precise yardages.
According to Ward Clayton`s book, `The Legendary Caddies of Augusta National,` Elder mentioned at the 2021 Masters that Brown`s caddying style was different from his preference for yardage-based play.
Elder recovered from early nerves, birdieing the second hole, but bogeyed the next two par-5s. He finished the first round with a 74, seven shots behind the leader but within striking distance of the top ten.
Challenging conditions in the second round led to a 78, and Elder missed the cut by four strokes.
`I blame myself,` Elder admitted. `I started poorly and was erratic. I was too distracted by the scenery.`
Brown, however, recognized Elder`s professionalism. `You can tell when a golfer is nervous – they become irritable,` Brown observed after the first round. `I didn`t see any of that in him.`
Brown`s expertise as a caddie at Augusta National was well-known. De Vicenzo, when asked about Brown caddying for Elder, praised him as `fine` and surprisingly added, `I think he could beat me [in golf]` in 1975.
Ike `Stabber` Choice, a caddie at Augusta National since the late 1960s, remembers Brown`s golfing prowess at Augusta Municipal Golf Course, known as the Patch. Brown and others often played against visiting Black golfers, usually winning.
`He excelled at the Patch because he was familiar with it,` Ike Choice told ESPN. `He knew the course intricacies and ball roll.`
Brown`s unique cross-handed grip and ambidextrous play were notable. He frequently played at the Patch with fellow Augusta National caddies like Tommy `Burnt Biscuits` Bennett, Jariah `Bubba` Beard, `Cigarette` Bobby Jones, and Jim Dent, who later achieved success on the Senior PGA Tour.
In 1980, Larry Adamson from the USGA received a letter from Brown, then in Richmond County Jail, where he was accused of assault (though not indicted). Brown requested a chance to qualify for the U.S. Open, even from jail.
Adamson informed Brown of the missed deadline. Undeterred, Brown asked for USGA official P.J. Boatwright Jr.`s help to get him out of jail to qualify.
Adamson clarified that the process wasn`t feasible. Brown, in a 1996 USGA Golf Journal, humorously suggested being handcuffed between shots during qualification.
Upon release, Brown contacted Adamson again, expressing his innocence and interest in the 1981 U.S. Open qualifier. He missed the deadline and entry fee again.
Robert Lee, overseeing U.S. Open qualifiers in northern Indiana, recalls Brown`s arrival at South Bend Country Club in early 1981, presenting his Augusta National caddie ID and declaring his U.S. Open victory ambition.
Brown used the salvage yard address as he worked there on Fridays, entertaining colleagues with golf stories and trick shots.
Lee described how Brown would gather workers, showcase his grip, and make impressive shots, even betting on hitting distant targets with precision, often using a cross-handed grip to win bets.
In 1982, Brown successfully applied for the U.S. Open qualifier at South Bend Country Club. On the qualifier day, a flat tire on his car caused a commotion in the parking lot.
Despite the disruption, Brown tied for first place and advanced to sectional qualifying.
Fineran recounted a local TV interview interrupted by two women changing Brown`s tire mid-interview.
At sectional qualifying near Chicago, Brown narrowly missed qualifying for the 1982 U.S. Open by one stroke. He reached sectional qualifying for the next three years but never made it to the U.S. Open itself.
Adamson remembered Brown`s resilience despite multiple rejections and missed deadlines, contrasting him with other players` anger in similar situations.
In 1992, Fineran encountered Brown`s car with an Augusta National hat, sensing Brown`s declining health.
Brown passed away on July 22, 1992, at 53, leaving behind a legacy of unrealized potential.
Jim Murray, in 1975, highlighted Brown`s challenging upbringing in Augusta, his early caddying career, and his dual life as a caddie and taxi driver.
Murray reflected on Brown`s exceptional golfing talent, suggesting that had Brown been white, his life`s trajectory might have been vastly different, hinting at the racial barriers of the time.
Benedict Kingsley