Mitt Romney told reporters today that he believes women should be admitted to Augusta National Golf
Club, home of The Masters tournament.
Romney
“Of course. I am not a
member of Augusta. I don’t know if I would qualify. My golf game is not that good,” Romney said, according to the Associated
Press. “If I could run Augusta, which isn’t likely to happen, of course I’d have women.”
Romney made his comments to
reporters on the rope line after a campaign event this afternoon in Pennsylvania. Several reporters traveling with the GOP
front-runner immediately began tweeting his quotes.
Newt Gingrich made his views known on the club’s membership
policy on Twitter with a nod to his wife, Callista, who
plays golf:
Earlier today, White House spokesman Jay Carney said President Obama also believes women should be allowed
to become members of Augusta.
The club’s all-male policy has drawn controversy over the years, and is in the
spotlight today because Virginia Rometty is chief executive of IBM, a Masters sponsor.
Traditionally, the CEOs of IBM,
Exxon and AT&T have been invited to become Augusta members because of the companies’ sponsorship, but until now all of
those corporate chiefs have been men.
The opening round of The Masters began today. USA TODAY’s Tom Weir has been live
blogging in Game On!