Augusta National Adds First Two Female Members

In its 80 year history, Augusta National Golf Club has not allowed female members to join the exclusive club.   The last decade has brought huge criticism to the club that so popularly hosts Golf’s first major (The Masters) because of its dominant male only membership.

The club invited former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina financier Darla Moore to don the green jackets when the course re-opens in October.   Of course, both of them accepted the membership and are excited about the thrill of being the first women on board.

Former club chairman Hootie Johnson had remained confident that Augusta was going to remain a “Men Only” club even after losing prime Masters TV sponsors for a couple of years when he notoriously stated that the club would not be forced to admit a female member, “at the point of a bayonet.”

Moore, who is 58 years old, first rose to financial fame in the 80s with Chemical Bank which eventually became submerged under the JP Morgan umbrella, where she became the highest-paid woman in the banking industry. “Augusta National has always captured my imagination, and is one of the most magically beautiful places anywhere in the world,” said Moore in a recent interview regarding her membership.

Currently age 57, Condoleezza Rice was the national security adviser under President George W. Bush and went on to become Secretary of State in his second term.  As the first black woman to be a Stanford senior academic administrator in 1993, she now is a professor of political economics 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.”

Today is a breakthrough day for women in Golf.  Congrats to Ms. Rice and Ms. Moore  for this achievement.

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