​Jim Dent, who has died aged 85, was one of the few black golfers to break through to the main American tour in the days when many doors were shut to them; though he made little impact in terms of tournament wins, he later became a significant figure on the US seniors circuit, claiming a dozen events from 1989 to 1998.
Along with Lee Elder, Charlie Sifford and Pete Brown, his exploits as a rare African-American presence on the golfing landscape helped to pave the way for the success of Tiger Woods in ensuing years.
Having begun as a caddy in the 1950s at the whites-only Augusta National club, home of the US Masters, Dent eventually found his way on to the US PGA tour in 1970, after which he established himself over the next two decades as a stalwart on the circuit, appearing in 450 tournaments and posting 25 top 10 finishes. But he tasted much more glory on the seniors tour, winning six events in his first two years before a steady stream of other victories that delivered more than $9 million in prize money.
Standing at 6ft 3in and weighing more than 16st, Dent could put plenty of beef behind the ball, and – in the days before modern technology dramatically increased distance hitting – was the winner of the first two World Long Driving Championships, in 1974 and 1975, with drives of 324 yards and 317 yards respectively. But there was much more to his game than length, as he proved over a successful 40-year career during which his competitive spirit was masked by an easygoing temperament.
James Lacey Dent was born on May 9 1939 in Augusta, Georgia. His mother, Carrie, died when he was six, and his father, Tom, a truck driver, followed her six years later, leaving Jim and his five siblings in the care of an aunt, Mary Benton, a domestic servant in one of Augusta’s great houses.
Despite Mary’s disapproval, as a teenager at Laney High School Jim became a caddy at Augusta National, eventually carrying the bag for Bob Rosburg and Bob Goalby at the US Masters and, in more casual circumstances, for President Dwight Eisenhower. He also picked up work at the Augusta Country Club, but had to learn his golf in the far less exclusive surroundings of the Augusta Municipal course.
After leaving school, Dent won a scholarship to the historically black Paine College in Augusta on the back of his talent as an American football player but gave up after a year to concentrate on golf. Moving first to New Jersey and then to Los Angeles, he worked as a waiter while entering a variety of tournaments, including those run by the all-black United Golfers Association, which existed in parallel to the white-only US PGA Tour.
Long years of hard slog and hustling followed until, with the help of sponsorship from a businessman, Mose Stevens, and some coaching from the former US Open champion Johnny Goodman, Dent was able to turn fully professional in 1966. With the PGA tour having desegregated in 1961, he was able to qualify for a tour card at the fourth attempt in 1970.
Although a journeyman from that point onwards, with a best position of runner-up to Jack Nicklaus in the 1972 Walt Disney World Open Invitational, Dent became a familiar and respected personality on the tour over the next two decades. He also played in five US Opens and six USPGA Championships, making the cut on eight occasions.
Outside the main tour his most notable achievements were three wins in the Florida PGA Championship and a first place at the Chattanooga Classic in Tennessee in 1983.
Dent’s most notable successes, however, came from the age of 50 onwards, when he became old enough to join the Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions Tour). Having retained his long-driving prowess into middle age, he was able to make significant inroads on the shorter course lay-outs of that tour, and had an immediate impact with victories in the Syracuse Classic and the Newport Cup in his first season, 1989, followed by four more wins in 1990, including the Crestar Classic, where he held off Lee Trevino by a stroke.
His last victory was in 1998 at the Home Depot Invitational, beating Bob Charles in a play-off; in all he playe​d 545 seniors​ tournaments before retiring aged 71 in 2010 to pursue his interests in fishing, cooking, listening to jazz and blues and collecting antique cars.
Jim Dent had two children from his first marriage and adopted five more with his second wife, Willye.
Jim Dent, born May 9 1939, died May 2 2025​