Who Was the First Black Golfer to Win the Masters?

The Achievement

On April 13, 1997, Tiger Woods sank a four-foot putt on the 18th green at Augusta National Golf Club and became the first Black golfer to win the Masters Tournament. He was 21 years old. He had won by 12 strokes, the largest margin of victory in Masters history. His four-round total of 270 (18 under par) was the lowest score in tournament history.

The records were staggering, but the context made them historic. Augusta National had not admitted a Black member until 1990. The Masters itself had been played at the club since 1934 without a single Black competitor until Lee Elder received an invitation in 1975. For decades, the only Black people allowed on Augusta's grounds were caddies and kitchen staff.

Woods did not just win the Masters. He dismantled the field at the most exclusive club in American golf, a place that had been designed, in both architecture and culture, to keep people like him out.

Golf's Racial History

Professional golf in America was explicitly segregated for most of its history. The PGA of America included a "Caucasians-only" clause in its constitution from 1934 to 1961. During those 27 years, Black golfers were barred from PGA Tour events regardless of their talent.

This exclusion had deep roots. Country clubs, where golf was played and where professional connections were made, were among the most segregated institutions in American life. Many clubs maintained whites-only membership policies well into the 1990s. Augusta National did not admit its first Black member, Ron Townsend, until 1990.

Black golfers who wanted to compete professionally played on the United Golf Association (UGA) tour, a parallel circuit founded in 1925. The UGA produced talented players like Teddy Rhodes, Charlie Sifford, and Bill Spiller, none of whom could access PGA events during the peak of their careers.

Charlie Sifford broke through in 1961 when the PGA finally removed its Caucasians-only clause. He became the first Black member of the PGA Tour and won the Greater Hartford Open in 1967 and the Los Angeles Open in 1969. But Sifford was never invited to play in the Masters. Augusta National's invitation criteria conveniently excluded him year after year.

John Shippen: The Forgotten Pioneer

More than a century before Tiger Woods walked the fairways at Augusta, a young man named John Shippen stood on the first tee at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Long Island, New York. It was 1896, and the U.S. Open was only in its second year.

Shippen, the son of a Black father and a Shinnecock Indian mother, had learned to play golf as a caddie at Shinnecock Hills. When he entered the 1896 U.S. Open, white competitors threatened to withdraw. Theodore Havemeyer, president of the USGA, responded that the tournament would be played even if Shippen was the only entrant. The other golfers backed down. Shippen finished tied for fifth.

Shippen competed in five more U.S. Opens through 1913 but never received the sponsorships or club affiliations that would have allowed him to compete at the highest level. He spent most of his career as a club professional at courses that would accept a Black instructor. He died in 1968 at age 89, largely forgotten.

Tiger Woods: The Making of a Champion

Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods was born on December 30, 1975, in Cypress, California. His father, Earl Woods, was a retired Army lieutenant colonel and a Vietnam veteran. His mother, Kultida, was from Thailand. Earl introduced Tiger to golf before the boy could walk, and by age two, Tiger was putting on a nationally televised talk show.

The prodigy narrative was real. Woods won the Junior World Golf Championship six times. He won three consecutive U.S. Junior Amateur titles (1991 to 1993) and three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles (1994 to 1996). No one had accomplished either streak. By the time he turned professional in August 1996, he was the most anticipated golfer in history.

Woods won two of his first seven PGA Tour events as a professional. Then came April 1997 and the Masters.

The 1997 Masters: Four Days That Changed Golf

Woods's first round was rocky. He shot a 40 on the front nine, four over par. Then something shifted. He played the back nine in 30 strokes, six under par. His first-round 70 left him three shots behind the leader.

From that point, no one could stay with him. He shot 66 in the second round, 65 in the third, and 69 in the fourth. His 12-stroke margin of victory over Tom Kite was not just the largest in Masters history. It was larger than the previous record by three strokes.

The images from that week became iconic: Woods in his red Sunday shirt, fist-pumping on the 18th green, then hugging his father behind the green. Earl Woods, who had faced racial discrimination throughout his own military career, wept openly.

Impact on Golf and Beyond

Woods's Masters victory did not just break a record. It changed the economics and demographics of golf. Television ratings for the Masters increased by more than 40 percent during his years of dominance. PGA Tour prize money nearly tripled between 1996 and 2006. Golf equipment companies signed endorsement deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

The "Tiger Effect" extended to participation. Youth golf programs reported surges in enrollment, particularly among minority children. The PGA Tour became more racially diverse, though progress was slow. As of the mid-2020s, the Tour remained overwhelmingly white, and Augusta National's membership was still predominantly white and male. Woods opened a door, but the sport's institutional barriers did not disappear overnight.

Woods went on to win 14 more major championships, bringing his total to 15, second only to Jack Nicklaus's 18. His 82 PGA Tour victories tie Sam Snead for the most all-time. His 2019 Masters win, coming after years of back surgeries, personal difficulties, and doubts about whether he would ever compete again, is widely regarded as one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was Tiger Woods the first Black golfer to play in the Masters?

No. Lee Elder was the first Black golfer to compete in the Masters Tournament in 1975. Elder qualified by winning the 1974 Monsanto Open. He missed the cut in his first Masters appearance but returned to compete in five more Masters tournaments. Woods was the first Black golfer to win the event, which he did in 1997.

How many major championships has Tiger Woods won?

Tiger Woods has won 15 major championships: five Masters (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2019), three U.S. Opens (2000, 2002, 2008), three Open Championships (2000, 2005, 2006), and three PGA Championships (1999, 2000, 2006, 2007). Only Jack Nicklaus, with 18, has won more.

Who was the first Black golfer to compete in a professional tournament?

John Shippen competed in the 1896 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, more than 100 years before Tiger Woods won the Masters. Shippen, the son of a Black father and a Shinnecock Indian mother, finished tied for fifth. He went on to compete in five more U.S. Opens through 1913, long before the PGA formally banned Black golfers with its 1934 "Caucasians-only" clause.