When Tiger Woods won the 1997 Masters at age 21, by 12 strokes, he was already a phenomenon — he had turned professional only eight months earlier and had won two PGA Tour events. But the Masters victory was something different.

Augusta National Golf Club had been founded in 1933 by Bobby Jones — a man who, despite his character, lived in a racially segregated America and made no public effort to include Black golfers in the game he loved. The first Masters was held in 1934. No Black golfer had won it in 63 years.

Tiger’s 12-stroke victory was not just the largest winning margin in Masters history. It was the first time a Black golfer had won at Augusta. It happened on a course whose history was deeply entangled with American racial exclusion. The symbolism was unmistakable.

The immediate cultural impact was documented: golf’s television ratings increased dramatically when Tiger played. Golf equipment sales rose sharply. Junior golf participation surged. Millions of people who had never watched golf watched him. The demographics of golf viewership changed perceptibly — if not yet dramatically.