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Augusta chief swerves talk of female membership

Despite being frequently questioned on the issue, Billy Payne refused to comment on the subject of female membership © PA Photos

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Augusta chairman Billy Payne refused to be drawn into any discussions surrounding the possibility of the club admitting its first female member.

Speaking at the annual news conference ahead of The Masters, Payne was repeatedly asked about whether membership would be offered to Virginia Rometty, chief executive of tournament sponsor IBM.

The last four CEOs at the technology firm have been invited to be members, as well as the heads of the other two major sponsors, AT&T and Exxon, but thus far the club has resisted calls to extend the privilege to Rometty.

After being asked if he could see the club admitting its first female member under his leadership, Payne replied: "As has been the case, whenever that question is asked, all issues of membership are now and have been historically subject to the private deliberations of the members, and that statement remains accurate and remains my statement."

When pressed again, specifically on the decision not to offer membership to Rometty, Payne refused to rise to the bait.

"One, we don't talk about our private deliberations," he said. "No. 2, we especially don't talk about it when a named candidate is a part of the question."

Membership, and the famous green jacket that comes with it, is notoriously difficult to secure, and has been a subject of controversy in recent years - with the first black member only permitted in 1990, and a protest against the lack of female representation affecting the early stages of the 2003 tournament.

However, Payne, who led Atlanta's successful bid for the 1996 Olympic Games, was polite but firm in his refusal to touch on the subject. His responses come in direct contrast to that of his predecessor Hootie Johnson, who famously declared the club would not introduce female membership "at the point of a bayonet".

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