Augusta National Golf Club, the home of the Masters tournament which has been bruised over the past decade for its exclusion of women from membership, said today it has accepted its first two female members.
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and financier Darla Moore have accepted invitations to join, the club said.
“These accomplished women share our passion for the game of golf and both are well known and respected by our membership,” Augusta chairman Billy Payne said in a statement. Payne declared the move a “joyous occasion.”
One of the Masters’ top sponsors, IBM, recently tapped a female CEO, Virginia Rometty, again putting the golf club’s male-only membership ranks in focus.
Rice and Moore will receive the club’s trademark green jackets when it opens in the fall.
The Associated Press reported that the two women were first considered as members five years ago.
“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. “I have long admired the important role Augusta National has played in the traditions and history of golf.”
Augusta’s PR woes reached a climax in 2003 when activist Martha Burk organized a protest near the club during the Masters tournament. Although the club brought in crisis PR support and suffered a wave of damaging headlines, then-chairman Hootie Johnson said the club was private and had the right to set its membership roles.
In 2006, ExxonMobil shareholders introduced a resolution pushed by Burk at the company's annual meeting in Dallas calling for a report on expenses made in conjunction with places that discriminate against woman, including Augusta.