Sexism at Augusta not Tiger’s fault

In its Nov. 18 editorial titled “America’s All-Male Golfing Society,” The New York Times… In its Nov. 18 editorial titled “America’s All-Male Golfing Society,” The New York Times called upon Tiger Woods, among others, to take a more aggressive stance against Augusta National Golf Club’s strictly male-only membership policy.

The Masters Tournament, one of pro golf’s four majors, has always been held at Augusta National. The president of the club, William “Hootie” Johnson, maintains the club will not acquiesce to the demands of the National Organization for Women, a group that has been applying pressure to the club, or to the demands of any other group.

Johnson maintains that, as a private club, Augusta has the constitutional right to exclude whomever it chooses. Of course this is technically the truth, but that doesn’t make overt sexism in the public eye an acceptable practice.

The editorial stated that “more enlightened members of the club, CBS Sports, which televises the Masters, and the players, especially Tiger Woods,” should step up and put pressure on Augusta.

It further states that, “Tiger Woods … could simply choose to stay home in April. The absence of golf’s best player would put a dreaded asterisk by the name of next year’s winner.”

This places an unfair onus upon Woods.

On Nov. 19, Woods told Reuters, “I have always said that there should be women members, but it is up to the membership to decide … I’m just an honorary member, so I don’t have voting rights.”

Why should Woods have to sacrifice a tournament for the sake of idealism? He shouldn’t be made a martyr just because he is at the top of his game.

Augusta’s backward policies are no fault of Woods’. Of course, if he were to take on this issue and boycott the tournament, the financial repercussions alone would be enough to force Augusta National to reconsider being flagrantly an old boys’ club.

Without Woods in the tournament, CBS Sports could count on maybe Phil Mickelson’s mom and a few folks whose remotes had broken tuning in.

The only effective, fair way to force Augusta National into the 21st century would be for all the golfers in the tournament to simply refuse to play at such a bastion of sexism. This would cost CBS Sports untold money and would forever mar the reputation of Augusta National Golf Club.

Not that the club hasn’t done a fine job of that by itself.