AUGUSTA, Ga. — Fifty years prior, when Lee Elder broke barriers as the first Black golfer at the Masters, he preferred to let his game speak for itself.
`I`m not talking,` Elder stated to reporters on April 7, 1975. `Every time I open my mouth, trouble follows.`
His wife and agent supported his stance, explaining, `Lee believes silence is the fairest approach. He`s here to focus on golf and wishes to be left undisturbed.`
However, Elder`s caddie, Henry J. Brown, a part-time taxi driver in Augusta, Georgia, was never one to shy away from conversation. He confidently declared that if Elder didn`t perform well against golf giants like defending champion Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Johnny Miller, it wouldn`t be due to his caddying.
`I consider myself the best,` Brown proclaimed. `I can navigate this course in reverse. I know every inch of it. Lee just needs to keep his composure. I guarantee he won`t be out-caddied.`
While Elder`s participation that week was a landmark moment, integrating the prestigious tournament and a historically exclusive club, it also shone a light on Henry Brown, a vibrant personality in the sport whose story has remained largely untold for half a century.
`Henry Brown was an unforgettable character – and a remarkable golfer,` recalled Dave Wilmes, who befriended Brown after he relocated to South Bend, Indiana, in the early 1980s. `He was a true course wizard, especially around the greens. And he loved to show off his skills.`
The Path to the Masters
For the Masters` initial four decades, participation was limited to white golfers, with Black individuals primarily serving as caddies. By the early 1970s, Brown hoped Elder`s success could challenge this norm. For four years, he had requested to caddie for Elder should he qualify for the Masters.
Elder`s breakthrough came with a victory at the Monsanto Open on April 21, 1974, defeating Peter Oosterhuis in a playoff. Shortly after, Masters Chairman Clifford Roberts extended an invitation to Elder for the 1975 tournament.
While Pete Brown and Charlie Sifford preceded Elder as Black PGA Tour winners, Elder`s victory was particularly significant as it occurred after the Masters adjusted its entry criteria to include Black golfers.
Upon Elder`s arrival at Augusta National, Brown was there to greet him. Despite his confidence, Brown wasn`t necessarily considered the top caddie at Augusta National. Legends like Willie Peterson, who caddied for Nicklaus`s early Masters wins, Willie `Pappy` Stokes, and Nathaniel `Iron Man` Avery were more frequently mentioned in that context. However, Brown had already witnessed Masters history.
In the 1968 Masters, Brown caddied for Roberto De Vicenzo, infamously involved in a scorecard error that cost him a potential playoff. De Vicenzo, after an apparent birdie on the 17th, signed for a par due to a mistake on his scorecard, missing a playoff against Bob Goalby.
Years later, Brown recounted attempting to confront Tommy Aaron, De Vicenzo`s playing partner who kept the scorecard, believing Aaron had wronged De Vicenzo.
Subsequently, Brown also caddied for Bob Goalby and Art Wall Jr., the 1959 Masters champion.
As Elder stepped onto the first tee at the 1975 Masters, nerves were evident. He even joked about mistaking a pencil for a cigarette earlier that week. To ease the tension, he engaged with the crowd, asking about the drizzling weather.
Jim Brown, the former NFL star, watched as Elder teed off. Elder`s supporters were also present in large numbers. Despite the occasion, the caddie-player relationship between Elder and Brown had a slightly rocky start. Brown preferred judging distances visually, while Elder relied on precise yardages.
According to Ward Clayton’s book, `The Legendary Caddies of Augusta National,` Elder noted at the 2021 Masters, `Henry was likeable, but his caddying style wasn`t my preference. I played by yardage, and he was more inclined to just hand me a club.`
Elder managed a birdie on the second hole but then bogeyed the subsequent par-5s. He finished the first round with a 74. In the second round, battling windy conditions, Elder shot a 78 and missed the cut.
`I blame myself,` Elder admitted. `I started poorly and was erratic. I was too busy admiring the scenery.`
Brown, however, recognized Elder`s professional composure. `You can tell when a golfer is nervous – they get irritable,` Brown commented after the first round. `But I didn`t see that in him.`
Brown`s own golfing talent was well-regarded at Augusta National. De Vicenzo, when asked about Brown, called him a `fine caddie` and surprisingly added, `I think he could beat me.`
A Golfer in His Own Right
Ike `Stabber` Choice, a fellow Augusta National caddie, recalled Brown`s prowess at the Augusta Municipal Golf Course, known as the Patch. Brown and others often played against visiting Black golfers, frequently winning.
`He excelled at the Patch because of his familiarity with it,` Ike Choice explained. `He knew every contour and how the ball would react.`
Brown played with a cross-handed grip and was ambidextrous on the course. He regularly played at the Patch with other caddies like Tommy `Burnt Biscuits` Bennett, Jariah `Bubba` Beard, `Cigarette` Bobby Jones, and Jim Dent, who later found success on the Senior PGA Tour.
In 1980, Larry Adamson from the USGA received a memorable letter from Brown, written from Richmond County Jail. Brown, who was detained but not indicted for charges related to an incident involving his ex-wife, sought to participate in the U.S. Open qualifiers.
In his letter, Brown requested an opportunity to qualify for the U.S. Open, even from jail, asking for P.J. Boatwright Jr., USGA`s rules director, to oversee his qualifying attempt. Adamson clarified this wasn`t standard procedure.
Despite missing deadlines and procedural hurdles, Brown`s determination to play in the U.S. Open remained undeterred. Robert Lee, an attorney involved with U.S. Open qualifiers in Indiana, remembered Brown`s confident arrival at South Bend Country Club, declaring his intention to win the U.S. Open, and presenting his Augusta National caddie ID as proof of his golf credentials.
Life Beyond the Course
Brown often spent time at a salvage yard on Fridays, supplementing his income and entertaining workers with his golf stories and trick shots.
Lee recalled Brown`s ability to hit targets with incredible precision, even with unconventional grips, often winning bets with his cross-handed technique.
In 1982, Brown finally managed to enter a U.S. Open qualifier at South Bend Country Club. Despite a flat tire incident upon arrival, he qualified for sectional qualifying. At the sectional qualifier, he narrowly missed advancing to the U.S. Open by a single stroke. He continued to reach sectional qualifying in the following years but never made it to the major championship.
Adamson remembered Brown`s resilience and positive attitude despite setbacks. In contrast to others who were upset by missed deadlines, Brown remained good-spirited.
In 1992, John Fineran, a golf writer, encountered Brown`s car with an Augusta National hat, recognizing it as a sign of Brown`s declining health due to cancer.
Henry Brown passed away on July 22, 1992, at 53. He left behind a legacy of talent and unfulfilled potential.
Jim Murray, a columnist, highlighted Brown`s life story in 1975, noting his upbringing in Augusta, his early start as a caddie, and his dual life as a caddie and taxi driver. Murray reflected that had Brown been given different opportunities, his life and golf career might have been dramatically different.
