Augusta National, home to the PGA Masters golf tournament, made history earlier this week.
On Aug. 21, Augusta added its first women members.
The exclusive golf club approved former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina financier Darla Moore as the first female members.
This is historically significant because since the the world famous club’s opening in 1932, no female has ever been a member.
After being under scrutiny for decades for providing memberships to only men, Augusta finally extended the invites to both women.
The home of the Masters has always been famous for green jackets. Now these special jackets won’t only be for men.
“It will be a proud moment when we present Condoleezza and Darla their green jackets when the club opens this fall,” said Billy Payne, Augusta’s national chairman.
For some female golfers, this occasion was long overdue.
Women’s rights activist Martha Burk always kept the heat on Augusta to add women to the club. Upon hearing the news, Burk was elated.
“My first reaction was, we won — and we did,” Burk said to CNN news. “By we, I mean the women’s movement and women in the United States, particularly those in business.”
The gender issue may now shift across the Atlantic to the British Open, which returns in 2013 to all-male Muirfield Golf Club.
