The
home of the Masters, under increasing criticism the last decade because
of its all-male membership, invited former Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice (photo left) and South Carolina financier Darla Moore to become the
first women in green jackets when the club opens for a new season in
October.
Both women accepted.
"This is a joyous occasion," Augusta National chairman Billy Payne said Monday.
The
move likely ends a debate that intensified in 2002 when Martha Burk of
the National Council of Women's Organizations urged the club to include
women among its members. Former club chairman Hootie Johnson stood his
ground, even at the cost of losing Masters television sponsors for two
years, when he famously said Augusta National might one day have a woman
in a green jacket, "but not at the point of a bayonet."
The
comment took on a life of its own, becoming either a slogan of the
club's resolve not to give in to public pressure or a sign of its
sexism, depending on which side of the debate was interpreting it.
"Oh
my God. We won," Burk said. "It's about 10 years too late for the boys
to come into the 20th century, never mind the 21st century. But it's a
milestone for women in business."
Payne, who took over as
chairman in 2006 when Johnson retired, said consideration for new
members is deliberate and private, and that Rice and
Moore were not treated differently
from other new members.
Even so, he took the rare step of announcing
two of the latest members to join because of the historical
significance "These accomplished women share our passion for
the game of golf and both are well known and respected by our
membership," Payne said in a statement. "It will be a proud moment when
we present Condoleezza and Darla their green jackets when the club opens
this fall. This is a significant and positive time in our club's
history and, on behalf of our membership, I wanted to take this
opportunity to welcome them and all of our new members into the Augusta
National family."
A person with knowledge of club operations said
Rice and Moore first were considered as members five years ago. That
would be four years after the 2003 Masters, when Burk's protest in a
grass lot down the street from the club attracted only about 30
supporters, and one year after Payne became chairman.
Moore and
Johnson are close friends, both with roots in South Carolina and
banking, and the person said Payne and Johnson agreed on the timing of a
female member. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because
the club typically does not discuss membership issues, said it was
important to Payne to be respectful of the membership process. The
person said prospective members often are not aware they are being
considered.
Burk maintains her initial letter to Johnson on June
12, 2002 -- and his defiant reply -- paved the way for Rice and Moore to
become members a decade later.
"It came sooner than I expected. I
thought they were going to try to outlast me," Burk said. "And I really
thought they would wait until the women's movement would get no credit.
But if we had not done what we did, this would not have happened now."
Augusta
National, which opened in December 1932 and did not have a black member
until 1990, is believed to have about 300 members. While the club until
now had no female members, women were allowed to play the golf course
as guests, including on the Sunday before the Masters week began in
April.
The issue of female membership never went away, however,
and it resurfaced again this year after Virginia Rometty was appointed
chief executive of IBM, one of the Masters' corporate sponsors. The
previous four CEOs of Big Blue had all been Augusta National members,
leading to speculation that the club would break at least one tradition
-- membership for the top executive of IBM or a men-only club.
Rometty
was seen at the Masters on the final day wearing a pink jacket, not a
green one. She was not announced as one of the newest members.
Moore,
58, first rose to prominence in the 1980s with Chemical Bank, where she
became the highest-paid woman in the banking industry. She is vice
president of Rainwater, Inc., a private investment company founded by
her husband, Richard Rainwater, and she was the first woman to be
profiled on the cover of Fortune Magazine,
In 1998, Moore made an
initial $25 million contribution to her alma mater, the University of
South Carolina, which renamed its business school after her. She pledged
an additional $45 million to the school in 2004.
And last year, she
pledged $5 million to the college for a new aerospace center. She also
pledged $10 million to Clemson University in her father's name.
Moore
was mentioned as a possible Augusta National member during the height
of the all-male membership debate in 2002. She and Johnson worked on
South Carolina's $300 million capital campaign in the late 1990s.
"Augusta
National has always captured my imagination, and is one of the most
magically beautiful places anywhere in the world, as everyone gets to
see during the Masters each April," Moore said. "I am fortunate to have
many friends who are members at Augusta National, so to be asked to join
them as a member represents a very happy and important occasion in my
life.
"Above all, Augusta National and the Masters Tournaments
have always stood for excellence, and that is what is so important to
me."
Rice, 57, was the national security adviser under former
President George W. Bush and became secretary of state in his second
term. The first black woman to be a Stanford provost in 1993, she now is
a professor of political economy at Stanford's Graduate School of
Business.
"I have visited Augusta National on several occasions
and look forward to playing golf, renewing friendships and forming new
ones through this very special opportunity," Rice said in a statement
released by the club. "I have long admired the important role Augusta
National has played in the traditions and history of golf. I also have
an immense respect for the Masters Tournament and its commitment to grow
the game of golf, particularly with youth, here in the United States
and throughout the world."
Rice recently was appointed to the U.S. Golf Association's nominating committee.
Johnson
regarded the membership debate as infringing on the rights of a private
club, even though every April it hosts the Masters, the most popular of
the four major championships, which brings in millions of dollars
through television rights for the highest-rated telecast in golf.
In
a 2002 interview with The Associated Press, Johnson said the makeup of
the club was more about four members-only parties each year than who
plays the course.
"Our club has enjoyed a camaraderie and a
closeness that's served us well for so long, that it makes it difficult
for us to consider change," he said. "A woman may be a member of this
club one day, but that is out in the future."
The membership
issue might now shift across the Atlantic to the British Open, which
returns in 2013 to all-male Muirfield Golf Club.
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