It was a long time coming, and the joy in the crowd was contagious. A very special monument honoring and celebrating the black caddies of The Augusta National was unveiled Thursday at the Sand Hills Community Center, a place many of those caddies grew up.
The 20-foot replica of a golf tee with scenes from The Augusta National and some of the men who caddied for many of golf's greatest was unveiled following a ceremony that was attended by several of the remaining caddies and about 150 guests.
For Terri L. McCoy and her family, it was a joyous moment.
"He would just be overwhelmed. He loved golf," she said. "This would have meant everything to him. Finally my father and the others are being honored."
Her late father, E.B. McCoy, a longtime caddie at The National, is pictured on the monument. He caddied for Gary Player when he won The Masters in 1974 and 1978. The family posed for photos around that spot on the mural, most wearing T-shirts printed with "E.B. McCoy, Caddie, Master Champions, 1974 & 1978". He died in 2013, his daughter said.
About 10 former caddies lined the front row under a covered area in front of the community center, including Ben Bussey, the last remaining caddie for a Masters champion before the rules were changed in 1983 to allow players to bring their own caddies.
That was 1982 when Craig Stadler won The Masters title with Bussey on the bag.
Since then Bussey has suffered a stroke. He's non-verbal and uses a wheelchair, but he was thrilled to be in attendance with a front row seat. Some of the other caddies at the ceremony were Buck Moore and Lawrence "Tommy" Bennett, who also caddied for Tiger Woods when he won his first green jacket.
The monument project began in 2020 when the Augusta-Richmond County Commission approved the project. Ed Durant, who was the creative director for the project, said he didn't want to see a typical granite monument, but something that was one-of-a-kind that would draw people in.
Durant and local artist Baruti Tucker created the sculpture which Tucker painted using a technique he said he developed using only his finger to paint.
Other speakers praised the addition of the monument, told funny stories about interactions on the course, and explained how important the caddies were to the community and to the Augusta National.
"You just don't know how great this moment is," said Bennett. "Just how changing this is."
He called the caddies mentors and trailblazers. "They don't read greens, they whisper to them."
The Sandhills Community Center is located at 2540 Wheeler Road.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Black caddies from The Augusta National honored with special monument
