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© St. Petersburg Times, published July 11, 2002
A woman will one day wear a green members' jacket, just as minorities were asked to join Augusta National Golf Club, just as a black golfer was invited to play in the Masters Tournament. It may take longer than many like, but it will happen.
Augusta National is all about doing things at its own leisurely pace, without outside pressure.
That's why this week's news that the National Council of Women's Organizations had asked Augusta chairman Hootie Johnson to admit a woman member to the storied club before next year's tournament was met with such a stern retort.
Consider: Bill Gates, who has enough money to buy Augusta National several times over, is not a member, even though he covets a spot at Bobby Jones' dream course. The fact that he wants in so bad probably keeps him out. Augusta does not want to be lobbied.
So where do you think that leaves the women's council? Unless the organization can galvanize support of a boycott of Masters sponsors -- which seems suspect, given the tournament's popularity -- it is looking at a longer time before a woman is asked to be a member.
And what successful woman, one who could meet the tough approval of the Augusta membership committee, would want to be accepted as part of a petition? It could appear to be tokenism and possibly undermine the significance of her membership.
Johnson probably erred in his harsh reply to Martha Burk, chair of the women's council who wrote to him last month. And he poured fuel on the fire by releasing a two-page statement, in essence saying the club will not be bullied.
But Johnson is no sexist. Yes, the club has been slow to change with the times, but Johnson has tried. Women are welcome at Augusta National and play regularly at the club with no restrictions. Johnson, who chaired the committee that developed the desegregation plan for colleges in South Carolina, recently invited the Gamecocks' women's golf team to play the course.
Check out some clubs in Florida, and you'll find women don't have it near as good. There are several -- Gator Creek in Sarasota comes to mind -- that never allow women on the grounds, period.
Augusta should have a woman member, several even. But it is a private club, free to do as it pleases, even if it does host a famous tournament. Just as people should not be discriminated against, members of private clubs have a right to choose whom they invite. Those ideas might seemingly clash, but that is the world in which we live.
TAINTED 60?: Walter Morgan became the youngest player in Senior PGA Tour history to shoot his age or better when he tied the senior mark for lowest round, 60 at the Canada Senior Open Championship. Morgan had birdie putts on each of the last two holes for 59 and missed them both.
But it is the putt on the 17th that has come into question. After missing, Morgan's ball sat less than an inch from the cup. But he sloppily jabbed at the ball, and replays appear to show he whiffed before knocking it into the cup. He was questioned after the round but insisted he did not intend to hit the ball.
"I was mad at leaving it short," Morgan said. "I just waved my putter telling myself not to leave it short, that's all. I never made an intent to hit the ball."
Said playing partner Charles Coody: "I take him at his word. Sometimes what a guy is thinking in his head and what other people think he is doing are two different things."
LOCALLY: The Tampa Bay Classic, Sept.19-22 at the Westin Innisbrook Resort, needs volunteers. Call (727) 942-5566 or e-mail tbclassic@aol.com. ... Lakeland's Walter Himelsbaugh won the Innisbrook Amateur this weekend, shooting scores of 75-73-72 and defeating Jeff Mills of Orlando and James Boothe in a playoff. Rick Kerper and Robin Perry, both of Clearwater, finished a shot back.
QUOTABLE: "I figure we just added three-quarters of a million dollars to the purse and cut 10 minutes off the driving time from my hotel to the course." -- Brandel Chamblee on Tiger Woods' withdrawal from last week's Western Open.
-- Information from other news organizations was used in this report.