AUGUSTA, Ga. — Half a century ago, when Lee Elder broke barriers as the first Black golfer at the Masters, he preferred silence over discussion.
`I`m not talking,` Elder stated to reporters on April 7, 1975, wary of potential misinterpretations.
His wife and agent reinforced his stance, explaining, `Lee believes this is the fairest approach. He`s here to focus on golf and desires privacy.`
However, Elder`s caddie, Henry J. Brown, a taxi driver in Augusta, Georgia, was never one to shy away from words. He confidently declared that if Elder didn`t perform well among golf giants like Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Johnny Miller, it wouldn`t be due to his caddying.
`I`m the best,` Brown proclaimed, boasting intimate knowledge of the Augusta course. `I know every inch of it. Lee simply needs to stay composed. I guarantee he won`t be out-caddied.`
While Elder`s participation that week was a landmark moment, integrating the world`s most prestigious tournament and one of America`s most exclusive clubs, it also spotlighted Henry Brown, a captivating personality whose story remained largely untold for fifty years.
`Henry Brown was an extraordinary character and a remarkable golfer,` recalled Dave Wilmes, who became friends with Brown after he relocated to South Bend, Indiana, in the early 1980s. `He was a true course magician, especially around the greens. And undeniably, a showman.`
IN THE INITIAL four decades of the Masters, participation was restricted to white golfers, while caddies were exclusively Black. By the early 1970s, Brown held onto hope that Elder could challenge this norm. For four years, he expressed his desire to caddie for Elder should he qualify for the Masters.
Elder`s breakthrough came with his first PGA Tour victory at the Monsanto Open on April 21, 1974. He triumphed over Peter Oosterhuis of England with a birdie in a sudden-death playoff. Shortly after, Masters Chairman Clifford Roberts announced Elder`s invitation to the 1975 tournament.
Although Elder wasn`t the first African American to win on the PGA Tour—Pete Brown and Charlie Sifford preceded him—his victory was significant as it occurred after the Masters adjusted its entry criteria, paving the way for Black golfers.
Upon Elder`s arrival at Augusta National in a red limousine, Brown was the first to welcome him. Despite his self-assurance, Brown wasn`t considered Augusta National`s premier caddie. That honor was typically attributed to Willie Peterson, who caddied for Nicklaus in his initial four Masters wins; Willie `Pappy` Stokes, associated with five wins across four golfers; or Nathaniel `Iron Man` Avery, who aided Arnold Palmer in four victories. Yet, Brown had already been part of Augusta`s history.
At the 1968 Masters, Brown caddied for Argentinian Roberto De Vicenzo, infamously remembered for signing an incorrect scorecard after the final round, costing him a playoff in a major sports blunder.
De Vicenzo, then the reigning Open Championship victor, birdied the 17th to tie Bob Goalby for the lead. However, his playing partner, Tommy Aaron, incorrectly marked a par on De Vicenzo`s scorecard.
When De Vicenzo failed to correct the error on signing, USGA rules dictated the higher score stood, placing him one shot behind Goalby, who claimed the Masters with an 11-under 277. Had De Vicenzo caught the error, he would have faced Goalby in an 18-hole playoff.
De Vicenzo`s reaction to losing the Masters was a simple, `What a stupid I am.` Brown later confided to golf writer John Fineran of the South Bend Tribune that he attempted to confront Aaron in the parking lot, believing he had wronged De Vicenzo.
In subsequent years, Brown also caddied for Goalby and 1959 Masters champion Art Wall Jr.
As Elder approached the first tee at the 1975 Masters opening round on April 10, nerves were evident. He jokingly mentioned to reporters about mistaking a scoring pencil for a cigarette the week prior. Attempting to ease the tension, he inquired about rain prospects, as the day was already overcast with drizzle.
Jim Brown, former NFL star turned actor, observed near the first tee as Elder teed off, sending the ball 250 yards down the fairway. Elder`s friends and family were also present; he had requested numerous badges and received more than even Nicklaus and Palmer.
Though initial jitters subsided, Elder and Henry J. Brown`s partnership wasn`t immediately seamless. The caddie favored judging distances visually, rather than pacing and measuring.
`Henry was very likeable, but his caddying approach didn`t align with mine,` Elder mentioned at the 2021 Masters, as documented in Ward Clayton`s `The Legendary Caddies of Augusta National.` `I usually played by exact yardage. He preferred simply handing me a club instead of determining the precise distance.`
Elder settled down after a birdie on the second hole, but subsequent bogeys on the next two par-5s led to an opening round of 2-over 74, placing him seven shots behind the leader, Bobby Nichols, but only three outside the top ten. The top 44 players and ties would make the 36-hole cut in 1975.
Challenged by windy conditions in the second round, Elder struggled, scoring a 6-over 78 and missing the cut by four strokes.
`I blame myself,` Elder admitted afterward. `I started poorly, was erratic, and got distracted by the scenery.`
Brown, however, recognized a seasoned professional at work.
`You can tell when a golfer is nervous—they get irritable,` Brown told reporters post-round. `I didn`t observe any of that in Mr. Elder.`
Brown`s insight was grounded in experience. He was among the most skilled golfers to caddie at Augusta National. De Vicenzo, when asked about Brown caddying for Elder, praised him as a `fine caddie,` and surprisingly added, `I believe he could beat me.`
IKE `STABBER` CHOICE, who began caddying at Augusta National in the late 1960s, remembers Brown playing golf with his brother, Charlie Choice. Every spring, Black golfers would gather at Augusta Municipal Golf Course, affectionately called the Patch, where Brown often outplayed and out-bet them.
`He could score remarkably low at the Patch because of his familiarity,` Ike Choice explained. `He knew every contour, predicting ball roll perfectly.`
Brown`s unique cross-handed grip and ambidextrous play were hallmarks. 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 caddied for Goalby and achieved 12 Senior PGA Tour wins in the 80s and 90s.
In May 1980, Larry Adamson of the USGA received a memorable letter on Richmond County Jail stationery from Brown, who was accused of raping his ex-wife in his taxi in April 1979 (though a grand jury declined to indict him, according to The Augusta Chronicle, May 21, 1980).
Brown`s letter to Adamson, as seen by ESPN, read, `I missed U.S. Open qualifying, but hope for another chance upon release. I was meant to qualify in Atlanta, but jail prevented it. I hope for another opportunity.`
Adamson informed Brown that he`d missed the 1980 U.S. Open qualifier deadline. Undeterred, Brown requested Adamson to send USGA`s P.J. Boatwright Jr. to Augusta to facilitate his release.
`He wanted P.J. Boatwright as his marker and to validate his score against qualifying,` Adamson recounted. `I explained golf qualification wasn`t structured that way.`
In the USGA`s Golf Journal (June 1996), Brown recalled telling Adamson, `Set up the qualifier, even handcuff me between shots.`
Upon release, Brown contacted Adamson, declaring his innocence and immediately wanting to register for the 1981 U.S. Open qualifier. Adamson promised to expedite an application.
Brown provided a salvage yard address in South Bend. He returned the application, again past deadline and without the entry fee.
Robert Lee, overseeing U.S. Open qualifiers in northern Indiana, remembers Brown at South Bend Country Club in early spring 1981, snow still on the ground. Brown told the pro, Banks Guyton, of his Masters caddie experience, proving it with his Augusta National ID.
`Henry told the pro he would win the U.S. Open,` Lee noted. `He genuinely believed it.`
BROWN USED THE salvage yard address because it was his Friday afternoon source of income. He`d entertain employees with golf stories after they received their paychecks.
`As quitting time approached, Henry would bring out clubs and gather the guys,` Lee described. `He`d demonstrate his grip and technique.`
Brown would then propose bets, like hitting a green Ford atop a car pile or a distant red Chevrolet or a black Dodge needing a hook shot.
Lee mentioned Brown`s Slazenger irons and his ability to hit from anywhere, especially his wedge skills.
`He was exceptionally talented,` Lee stated. `Ambidextrous, he`d bait bets by initially playing conventionally, then wagering he could do it cross-handed.`
Brown finally submitted his USGA application on time for the 1982 U.S. Open local qualifier at South Bend Country Club. On qualifier day, arriving in his 1965 Pontiac Catalina with a bowling trophy hood ornament, a tire blew in the parking lot, startling everyone.
`[Guyton] told him to move the car or it would be moved,` Fineran recalled.
After 36 holes, Brown tied with Tom Stevens at 1-under 141, qualifying for sectional qualifying.
`During a local TV interview after his win, two women arrived, changed his tire mid-interview, and left,` Fineran recounted.
At sectional qualifying near Chicago, Brown missed qualifying for the 1982 U.S. Open by a single stroke. He reached sectional qualifying for the next three years but never the major championship itself.
`He was never angry or resentful,` Adamson remarked. `Dealing with thousands of deadline-missers, I`ve seen extreme anger. Henry, declined thrice for lateness, remained composed.`
In April 1992, Fineran, visiting his newborn son in a South Bend hospital, noticed a car with Georgia plates and an Augusta National caddie hat, realizing Brown, battling cancer, might have worsened.
Brown passed away on July 22, 1992, aged 53, leaving behind six daughters, six sons, and a legacy of unfulfilled potential.
Jim Murray, LA Times columnist, profiled Brown in 1975, detailing his Augusta upbringing, starting as a caddie at age 9, and his dual life as a caddie and taxi driver.
`Despite his golfing talent, Henry J. couldn`t reach the U.S. Open like Johnny Miller,` Murray wrote. `Had Henry J. Brown been born white, his life might have been dramatically different.`
