Lee Elder
Elder Group Corp.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
 
Robert Lee Elder turned golf professional in 1959 and joined the PGA Tour in 1967. He became the first Afro-American to go to South Africa to compete in a multi-racial competition in 1972, and was the first Afro-American to play in the prestigious Masters Tournament in 1975. Mr. Elder has been inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and the NCAA Hall of Fame. He has received an honorary doctorate degree from Daniel Hale Williams University and received the Sports Writers of America annual award for service and dedication presented at the 2000 Masters Golf Tournament.

Mr. Elder has had four PGA Tour victories - 1974 Monsanto Open, 1976 Houston Open, 1978 Greater Milwaukee Open, and the American Express Westchester Open. Lee joined the Senior Tour in 1984 and has won eight Senior PGA tournament titles. He established the Senior Tour record for lowest 18 hole score (11 under par 61), a mark broken by Isao Aoki's 60 in 1997.

Mr. Elder won against Peter Thompson with an eagle 3 on the first extra hole of the 1985 Commemorative, earning him the distinction of being the last player to win a Senior Tour playoff with an eagle. He also defeated Lee Trevino on the eighth extra hole to win the 1978 Greater Milwaukee Open, equaling the second longest playoff in PGA tour history. Mr. Elder is a member of the United States Ryder Cup Team and has had five hole-in-one's in his professional career.

Lee Elder is involved in numerous charitable causes such as the Lee Elder Reunion Golf Tournament to aid underprivileged children (22 years on-going), Boys and Girls Clubs, American Heart Association, and Diabetes Association. He has also played in exhibitions and classics in South Africa where proceeds went to South African girls' schools.

Lee Elder and his wife, Sharon, live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.