|
Augusta National Golf Club have turned a page in their history by allowing female members for the first time in 80 years.
The
home of the U.S. Masters has maintained its male-only policy throughout
much media criticism, particularly in recent times, but this will now
come to an end in October with the announcement that former U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rica and financial heavyweight Darla
Moore will don the green jackets.
"This is a joyous occasion as
we enthusiastically welcome Secretary Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore
as members of Augusta National Golf Club," club President Billy Payne
said in a statement.
"Consideration with regard to any candidate
is deliberate, held in strict confidence and always takes place over an
extended period of time," Payne added. "The process for Condoleezza and
Darla was no different."
Rice, a keen golfer, said in a
statement: "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."
Financier Darla Moore,
58, is the first woman to be profiled on the cover of Fortune Magazine
and is numbered among the highest-paid women in banking. She is
currently a partner of the private investment firm Rainwater, Inc.
"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," Moore said.
A decade ago
Augusta's then-Chairman William "Hootie" Johnson has countered
widespread calls for female membership but saying: "There may well come a
day when women will be invited to join our membership, but that
timetable will be ours, and not at the point of a bayonet."
|