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LPGA chief asks Augusta to admit women

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- LPGA Tour Commissioner Ty Votaw said Wednesday the Augusta National Golf Club should admit women as members.

To do otherwise, he said, "is not the right thing," and "damaging to the game of golf."

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Addressing the highly charged topic during his annual "State of the Tour" address, Votaw said he was disappointed by the recent announcement by Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson that the club will not admit a female member by the time The Masters is played in April.

"The time for the debate has passed. Nothing anyone says or writes or no matter what polls may say overrides the single fact that not admitting women to Augusta National is exclusionary, and that is wrong for people and wrong for the game of golf," Votaw said.

"The message it sends is that women cannot be part of the face of golf and that is wrong."

While acknowledging that The Masters has donated money to the LPGA Foundation, the commissioner said, "we cannot condone its stance on this issue and we clearly can no longer hope for a quick resolution. Again, that is disappointing."

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Pressed by Martha Burk of the National Council of Women's Organizations, Johnson said Augusta National would not admit women members "at the point of a bayonet."

When Burk's group threatened to pressure sponsors of the CBS telecast of The Masters, Johnson jettisoned the sponsors and opted for four days of commercial-free coverage.

That has done nothing to tone down the rhetoric on both sides of the issues, a debate Votaw said, "has become a distraction and is damaging to the game of golf."

Asked about the LPGA's own membership policies, Votaw said it would remain open to women only "due to the physiological differences between women and men."

But he won approval from the tour's board of directors to consider admitting men as members of the LPGA's teaching and club professional division.

"It may not be legally required to do so, but we think it's the right thing to do," Votaw said.

Votaw's comments came on the same day golf superstar Tiger Woods rejected calls by The New York Times to boycott The Masters because of Augusta National's membership policy.

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