White House: Obama wants Augusta to admit women members
As Augusta National faces new questions about its lack of female membership, the White House said Thursday that President Obama believes women should be admitted.
“It’s obviously up to the club to decide. But his personal opinion is that women should be admitted to the club,” spokesman Jay Carney told reporters at his daily briefing.
Driving the renewed attention to the renowned golf club’s membership profile was the elevation of Virginia Rometty to chief executive of IBM, a title sponsor of the Masters tournament.
Most of the company’s chief executives have been Augusta members.
When asked about the issue in his pre-tournament news conference this week, club chairman Billy Payne reiterated that “all issues of membership are now, and have been historically, subject to private deliberations of the members.”
The question was posed at the White House briefing in the context of Obama hosting a summit on women and the economy Friday.
The first round of the Masters is underway Thursday in Augusta, Ga.
Original source: White House: Obama wants Augusta to admit women members
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