Augusta National, home of the Masters, closing down 'until further notice'
The world's best golfers won't be coming to Augusta National Golf Club next month for the Masters and soon the club will be closed to its regular members.
By the end of the week, the Georgia club "will be closed until further notice" because "we are now in the midst of a national emergency" from the coronavirus outbreak, Fred Ridley, the club's chairman, wrote in a letter to members that was obtained by Golf Digest.
The decision comes four days after Ridley announced that the Masters, golf's first major tournament of the year, would not start on April 9 and offered no timetable for it to be rescheduled.
"Beginning today, we are taking the necessary steps to curtail our operations so, by the end of this week, the Club will be closed until further notice," Ridley's letter states. "We intend to maintain our properties with limited personnel on site, and we will support our many other functions by working remotely where possible. But this is about much more than business continuity. This is about our employees, and the foundation of this decision is built-in upon keeping everyone safe while preserving the financial stability of those we care about most."
The decision to postpone the Masters, coming after the Players Championship was called off Friday morning after one round, was disappointing given how Tiger Woods won his fifth green jacket and 15th overall major last year. Woods, who has played little this year because of his back, thought postponing the tournament was smart.
"There are a lot more important things in life than a golf tournament right now," he tweeted. "We need to be safe, smart and do what is best for ourselves, our loved ones and our community."
Augusta National typically closes a few weeks after the Masters and reopens in the fall. Masters officials might have to target September or later for the tournament because there is no hole on the summer golf calendar that isn't otherwise occupied by an existing PGA Tour event.
