Progessive chairman reactionary in one respect
HOOTIE JOHNSON, the South Carolina banker who as the longserving chairman of Augusta National stood his ground on inviting female members, has died, aged 86.
Johnson served eight years as chairman of Augusta National and the Masters.
Known for being progressive as a businessman, his term was marked by his defiance under pressure by a women’s group that the club invite women to join.
He famously said the club would not be bullied ‘‘at the point of a bayonet’’.
Johnson went so far as to eliminate television sponsors of the Masters in 2003 and 2004 to keep them from the controversy.
He stepped down as club chairman and was succeeded by Billy Payne. Augusta invited its first female members in 2012.
Payne referred to Johnson as a personal mentor on Masters matters as well as those in business and life.
‘‘He boldly directed numerous course improvements to ensure that Augusta National would always represent the very finest test of golf.
‘‘Simultaneously, Hootie expanded television coverage of the masters, improved qualification standards for invitation to the tournament and reopened the series badge waiting list for the first time in more than 20 years.
‘‘Many of these measures brought more people than ever closer to the Masters and inspired us to continue exploring ways to welcome people all over the world to the tournament and the game of golf,’’ Payne said.
Johnson is widely known for a disagreement with women’s activist Martha Burk, who demanded a change in the membership policies at Augusta National.
A defiant traditionalist, Johnson felt a private club was well within its right to deny female members, and went as far as to say it would not be forced to act ‘‘at the point of bayonet’’ when
Burk demanded a change in 2002.
In 2012, under Payne, Augusta National invited its first two female members since the club was founded in the 1930s. One of those women, South Carolinian businesswoman Darla Moore, was sponsored by Johnson.
His tenure as chairman also coincided with an era of rapidly improving equipment and longerhitting players, so he ordered sweeping changes that made Augusta National, which hosts the Masters every April, a much longer and tougher test.
The moves prompted howls from purists who felt the changes were not what course designers Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie had envisioned.
The club said it would privately honour Johnson’s memory in the coming days.