Try GOLD - Free
Memories of '75 Fifty years since Elder's debut, has golf managed to broaden its horizons?
The Guardian
|April 07, 2025
For Carl Jackson, the path was one well trodden. Caddie shed to 1st tee; he had done it hundreds of times across 14 years as a bag man at the Masters.
For Carl Jackson, the path was one well trodden. Caddie shed to 1st tee; he had done it hundreds of times across 14 years as a bag man at the Masters. Jackson's connection to Augusta National stretched even beyond his major debut of 1961. He was a caddie at the venue from the age of 14; breaching what employment law existed in 1950s Georgia but still savvy enough to make his mark, Jackson was quickly accepted. This time, he had no cause to give advice over a choice of club. He had no competitor anxiety to calm. Thursday 10 April 1975. Fore please, now driving: Lee Elder. Jackson made sure he formed part of the gallery. A Masters colour split - caddies black, players white - was about to end.
"I was nervous for Lee Elder," Jackson recalls. "It was an earth-shattering day for golf. Augusta had a lot of members and not all of them approved of this. I was out there, gathered around the tee like a lot of other people, because I wanted to see the expression on some of the members' faces.
"That was a breakthrough for Augusta, for the Masters, for the golf world. He made it there on his own. We put a lot of weight in him and in his talent."
And the reaction? "In my mind and what I read was far more positive than negative. Lee had a very pleasant personality. He always seemed to have a smile on his face. I never heard anything negative about Lee."
This story is from the April 07, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Guardian
The Guardian
Albanese rules out link between gunmen and wider terrorist cell
Investigators in Australia have dismissed suggestions that two gunmen who opened fire on a crowd celebrating a Jewish festival in Sydney on Sunday, killing 15 people and injuring dozens, were part of a wider terror network.
3 mins
December 16, 2025
The Guardian
Italian PM to auction off gifts given by world leaders for charity
Passing on unwanted gifts might be considered discourteous - unless it is done the right way.
2 mins
December 16, 2025
The Guardian
Oxfam chief executive's exit sparks row among its board of trustees
An extraordinary row has broken out at Oxfam over the treatment of its outgoing chief executive.
2 mins
December 16, 2025
The Guardian
US firm behind Roomba robot vacuum files for bankruptcy
The US company behind the Roomba robot vacuum has filed for bankruptcy protection and will be taken over by one of its Chinese suppliers.
1 mins
December 16, 2025
The Guardian
Liverpool parade car attacker was 'man in a rage'
A former Royal Marine was a \"man in a rage\" as he mowed down dozens of fans of Liverpool football club at a victory parade in what many feared was a terrorist attack, a court has heard.
3 mins
December 16, 2025
The Guardian
NHS dentists to be paid more for emergency appointments
Dentists in England will be paid more to ensure patients have easier access to emergency appointments under new government plans, but experts have expressed doubt that it will improve care.
1 min
December 16, 2025
The Guardian
Cliff Richard backs prostate screening as he tells of cancer
Cliff Richard has revealed he has been treated for prostate cancer for the past year.
1 min
December 16, 2025
The Guardian
Washington freezes Britain’s £31bn ‘step change’ tech deal
The US has paused its promised multibillion-pound investment into British tech over trade disagreements, marking a major setback in US-UK relations.
3 mins
December 16, 2025
The Guardian
With critical details missing from the workers' rights bill, the big battles are yet to come
Will the employment rights bill be passed by Christmas?
2 mins
December 16, 2025
The Guardian
Albanese PM rejects Netanyahu criticism
Australia's prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has rejected accusations from his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, that Australia's recognition of a Palestinian state earlier this year had contributed to Sunday's deadly antisemitic terrorist attack on Bondi beach in Sydney.
2 mins
December 16, 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size
