Hootie Johnson SPECIAL

The chairman of Augusta National Golf Club does not ordinarily receive this much correspondence, but the letters have been pouring in since a national women's group challenged the all-male club's membership this summer.

"You'd be surprised how many letters we've gotten from women," Mr. Johnson said last week. "Ninety-nine percent have been sympathetic."

Mr. Johnson, 71, has remained resolute on the issue. In an interview with The Augusta Chronicle last week, the chairman said there is no timetable to allow a female member and that the club believes in its right to choose and to associate.

"I do want to emphasize that single-gender organizations are good. And they're not discriminatory," Mr. Johnson said. "If they are, this country is in a hell of a fix with the Boy Scouts, and the Girl Scouts, and the Junior League, and college fraternities and college sororities."

Asked whether the club would have a female member before next spring's Masters Tournament, the chairman reiterated that there is no timetable.

That might not sit well with Martha Burk, the women's rights advocate who has poked fun at the chairman and the club while leading the fight against Augusta National. The chairwoman of the National Council of Women's Organizations sent Mr. Johnson a letter in June asking him to consider the possibility of adding a woman to the club's membership rolls.

The chairman responded a month later in a tersely worded, three-paragraph statement. He also distributed a lengthy statement to the media that outlined the club's position.

WILLIAM W. "HOOTIE" JOHNSON AGE: 71 RESIDENCE: Columbia POSITION: Chairman, Augusta National Golf Club OCCUPATION: Retired in 2001 as chairman of the executive committee of Bank of America Corp. PERSONAL: Married to Pierrine; four daughters BACKGROUND: A member at Augusta National since 1968, Mr. Johnson became a vice president of the club in 1975 and served in that position until becoming chairman in 1998.

Since then, the controversy has escalated. Mr. Johnson has released the sponsors of the Masters telecast, Ms. Burk has pressured some club members into public statements on the issue, and numerous articles have appeared in newspapers and magazines across the country. Augusta National has commissioned a poll on the issue, and the results will be released Wednesday.

"I don't accept this as the final word on the thing," Ms. Burk said Monday night, adding that she would continue to apply pressure to the club's members and the PGA Tour. "He's under some pressure from his members to open the club up. So, even though Hootie Johnson does not want a woman member, that does not mean there won't be a woman member."

Still, Mr. Johnson stands his ground. When asked whether he has received much feedback on the issue, he simply waves his hand toward his desk and the piles of letters that have arrived since July.

Nearly 1,000 letters have been received, and Mr. Johnson says the majority have been in support of the private club. Some letters were accompanied by checks from supporters worried about the club's financial status after the chairman dismissed the tournament sponsors in the wake of the controversy. All checks are returned.

One letter, sent from New Albany, Ind., is indicative of the strong feelings that have characterized the controversy that has been the main topic of discussion in golf since July.

Dear Hooty (sic),

Hold Firm. Tell them to get a job!

Mr. Johnson chuckles as he tells of another letter, sent from a golf fan in Wisconsin, that contains a picture of a bumper sticker that proclaims "Hootie Johnson for President."

Reach John Boyette at (706) 823-3337 or jboyette@augustachronicle.com.

Previous Stories