Wednesday, April 21, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
GOLF: Sisters man
participated in
historic event
Continued from page 1
once again limited. Being at
the 87th Masters for Aspen
Lakes Director of Golf
Operations, Howie Pruitt,
took on vastly more sig-
nificance than just being on
hand. The PGA (Professional
Golfers9 Association of
America) has between 28,000
and 29,000 members. Of that
number only a somewhat
astonishing 169 are Black,
and of those only three
from the Pacific Northwest
Region, Pruitt being one.
This year 9s Masters,
always full of ceremony
and tradition from the sto-
ried green jacket to the
Champions Dinner, set
aside time to honor one of
PHOTO BY BILL BARTLETT
Howie Pruitt is director of golf
operations at Aspen Lakes.
golf9s greats 4 Lee Elder.
In 1975, Elder became the
first African-American to
play in the invitation-only
tournament after winning the
Monsanto Open.
In 1971, Elder accepted
an invitation from Gary
Player to play in the South
African PGA Championship
in Johannesburg. The event
marked the first integrated
tournament in that country9s
history. South Africa had
apartheid policies in effect at
the time, but Elder agreed to
participate after the govern-
ment promised not to subject
him or spectators to the usual
segregation requirements. He
also played in a number of
other tournaments in Africa,
where he won the Nigerian
Open in 1971.
Elder often endured vile
hate mail, threatening phone
calls and heckling from the
crowd. His contributions to
the game, inspirational life
story and indomitable spirit
led the Masters to recognize
him in the ceremonial start
to this year9s tournament.
Along with Jack Nicklaus
and Gary Player, Elder who
is assisted by a wheelchair,
hit the honorary opening tee
shots officially starting this
year9s event. Elder9s health
prevented him from making
an actual shot yet as Pruitt
witnessed his mere presence
brought the attendees to their
feet for an extended ovation.
Pruitt was one of 12 Black
PGA members selected to
honor Elder and hence his
31
PHOTO PROVIDED
Howie Pruitt, far left in audience, is applauding Lee Elder, left, with Gary Player, center, and Jack Nicklaus, right.
trek to Augusta. The weather
was perfect and despite
COVID, the limited crowd
was most enthusiastic, Pruitt
said upon his return. He was
on hand for the Thursday
night dinner and lunch Friday
at the famed <Patch,= offi-
cially known as Augusta
Municipal Golf Course,
another dream course.
Pruitt was present for the
first round. He was struck
by the sheer size of the
club. Walking the back nine,
he put 11,000 steps on his
pedometer. He said it was
the experience of a lifetime,
feeling honored to be hon-
oring one of golf9s biggest
names.
Pruitt speaks calmly about
the slow and painful progress
professional golf has taken
for people of color. There is
not a hint of resentment nor
bitterness in his voice, though
one might wonder how is that
possible for somebody who
started playing the game,
like Elder, at 16 but who then
could not play in college as
Blacks in the 1960s were
routinely denied playing on
school teams and prohib-
ited 4 often by written and
openly stated rules 4 from
joining golf clubs.
The PGA itself eliminated
its <Caucasian-only clause=
from its bylaws in 1961 4
the same PGA to which Pruitt
is immensely devoted, serv-
ing on several committees.
He currently is President of
the Pacific Northwest Section
comprising Oregon, Central
and Western Washington,
Idaho, and Western Montana.
P ru itt w a s b o rn in
Columbus, Ohio, as was Jack
Nicklaus, his childhood hero.
He is in his seventh season at
Aspen Lakes having previ-
ously worked at Bend Golf
& Country Club and Eagle
Crest Resort. When The
Nugget asked what he liked
best about his job, without
hesitancy he said, <the view,=
with a gleeful smile and
sweeping hand gesture across
the window.