During the early 1960s, right in the midst of the civil rights movement, Lewis plucked crabgrass out of the greens in exchange for playing privileges at the country club in Huntsville, Ala. He was the first black golfer on his high school team, playing with mismatched clubs because he couldn’t afford a set of his own. And he endured racism along the way, everything from nasty looks to waiting out an impromptu canvassing of the membership at a south Georgia club before a pro tournament in the mid-’80s.

“The members of that course had to vote to see whether they were going to let the black guys play. You see, they had never had a black guy play on that course,” remembered Lewis, who now teaches in a program that started in the wake of Woods’ first Masters triumph. “A lot of times we would go to places and they didn’t want you there. You could just tell.”

That was all supposed to change with Woods’ success and celebrity.

“How far have we come? All you have to do is look to realize we have not gone anywhere,” said Eddie Payton, the longtime golf coach at historically black Jackson State University in Mississippi. “We’re right in the same spot we were before.”

Where are all the black golfers who were going to diversify a sport that once put out a “Whites Only” sign with no shame?

“It would be nice to see a few more of my buddies trying to play out here,” said Tim O’Neal, who turned pro in 1997. He’s still scraping by on the mini-tours.

“But I’ve always been the only one since I was, like, 7 years old,” O’Neal said.

The simplest reason is money.

Sifford, who helped end the Caucasian-only policy and became the first PGA Tour member in 1961, only had two sponsors in his career. Tony Smith, an African-American in his early 40s, was toiling on the mini-tours until qualifying for the Buick Invitational last month by using clubs that were not properly fitted for him. Only when he made the field at Torrey Pines did Callaway offer its services.

Although programs such as The First Tee have helped expose the game to inner-city youths, there is still the matter of buying clubs and balls — lots of balls — and finding a course that is affordable. Even then, getting a ride to the club can be an ordeal for many low-income kids. Adults, too.

“All the calls that come in here are about the expense,” said Debert Cook, publisher of African American Golfer’s Digest. “A lot of guys need sponsorship, transportation, tournament registration fees. Their day jobs interfere with playing regularly at a quality course. They’re trying to juggle family and profession. That’s the problem.”

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said when Woods came along, it took care of one problem: finding a role model.

“But the other one, which was just as big, was access to facilities,” Finchem said. “You do what you can to take advantage of the role model. But you’ve got to get golf to kids, and it’s a slow process.”

He used Woods and his late father, Earl, as an example.

“It took Earl 20 years to bring Tiger to that point — and that’s one kid starting at age 2,” Finchem said. “It’s a long, tough pull to make a huge impact on the look of the tour.”

Andy Lyons / Getty Images Lee Elder was the first black golfer to play in the Masters.

Woods started his own foundation in 1996. At first, he focused on junior golf to teach character development. It then evolved toward education, and he opened the Tiger Woods Learning Center in 2006. It has never been his goal to find the next Tiger.

“You either want it or you don’t. You can’t teach that,” Woods said. “But you can teach them how to be a leader.”

Besides, making it to the PGA Tour is tough no matter the skin color. Only about 200 players have full status on the PGA Tour every year, and prospects come from everywhere — Padraig Harrington of Ireland, Geoff Ogilvy of Australia, Angel Cabrera of Argentina and K.J. Choi of South Korea are among 74 foreign-born players on tour this year.

“Our sport is becoming more global,” Woods said. “It’s only going to become more difficult for African-Americans now, because golf has opened up around the world.”

Not entirely. Only three Hispanic players are on the PGA Tour.