Politics

Romney: ‘Of course I’d have women in Augusta’

Will Rahn Senior Editor
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Mitt Romney said Thursday that women should be allowed to join the all-male Augusta National Golf Club, the site of this year’s Master’s tournament.

“Certainly if I were a member and if I could run Augusta, which isn’t likely to happen, but of course I’d have women in Augusta,” said Romney, the likely Republican nominee. His comments echoed those made just hours earlier by White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, who said President Obama “personally” believes that women should be allowed to join.

Augusta’s decision to only allow men to join became a national issue 10 years ago after women’s groups protested the policy. While their efforts to overturn the Club’s membership requirement were unsuccessful, they did lead to the resignations of prominent members of the club like then-Treasury Secretary nominee John Snow.

This year’s Master’s Tournament is being held at Augusta, which is prompting the renewed interest in the Club’s policy. Augusta has been an all-male club since its founding in 1933, and only began admitting African-American members in 1990.