Jim Dent, groundbreaking Black golfer, dies at the age of 85

Jim Dent grew up in the Caddy Yards of Augusta, Georgia,, finally worked for the Masters and improved his game on the city course known as the “The Patch”. He became one of the longest rackets of the PGA Tour and one of the best black golfers in his generation.

Dent died on Friday at the age of 85, a week before his birthday, his grandson on Facebook. The PGA tour said on its website that Dent had suffered a stroke the day after announcing plans for Tiger Woods to design a Par-3 course in the patch.

“What I learned about the golf game probably kept me all the lives,” said Dent of the USGA for a history in 2012.

Dent worked hard enough on his game that he moved to California at some tournaments of the United Golfers Association, a league that the black player devoted himself to California and took the lesson from the former US Open Champion Johnny Goodman.

Finally, in 1970 he earned his PGA tour card via the qualifying school and while he never won on tour, he had a complete schedule of at least 22 tournaments for the next 16 years. His best result was the Walt Disney World Open Invitational from 1972 when he left Jack Nicklaus in the last round with two shots. Nicklaus scored 64 and won nine.

Dent won the Michelob-Chattanooga Gold Cup Classic in 1983, an event by the tournament player for players who were not fully freed-of the tour this year on the all-exemply tour instead of the majority of the field went on Monday qualifying.

Dent never fulfilled the qualification criteria to play in the masters, but he did the average in eight of the eleven majors he played – six at the PGA championship, five at the US Open.

He was best known for his amazing length and Dent won the world’s first World Cup in 1974.

After turning 50, he won 12 times at the PGA Tour Champions. Al Geiberger said after Dent shot 64 to win his first Champions event, “Jim Dent should be banned as he can hit the ball.”

“Many people will remember Jim Dent how far he did the ball and he really did it,” said Miller Brady, President of the PGA Tour Champions. “But his long -term success, especially on our tour, proved that Jim concludes more than just for a long time.”

The fourth of six children, dent, lost both parents when he was 12 years old and was brought up by his aunt Mary Benton. She was against him when she caded the patch on the patch and said to him: “When they learn how to be Caddy, they will learn how to play.”

“Children think they are the smartest people in the world,” said Dent in USGA history. “Secondly, I learned how to do it when I learned how to be Caddy was cubes and playing cards. She had dead.”

He worked in the Augusta Country Club and Dent remembered how Caddies could play if they were ready to cut crab grass out of the greens. Among the players for whom he cadeded National for the Master at Augusta were Bob Goalby and Bob Rosburg.

In 2020, Augusta named the street as “Jim Dent Way” as “Jim Dent Way”. Two years later, Dent was included in the Caddy Hall of Fame.

His son Jim Dent Jr. is now the Head Pro on the patch.

Augusta National supports support in improving the community course under the work of the architects Tom Fazio and Beau Welling. A longer, conditioned course with a new short game area and a new clubhouse will be included. Woods designs a Par-3 course called “Loop at the Patch” to honor Augusta National Caddies who played there.