Monday, October 21,
2002
Woods
at center of debate regarding women membership at Augusta
NEW YORK (AP) - Tiger
Woods has given his opinion on whether women should be members
at Augusta National Golf Club, and the world's top-ranked player
said people should respect it or not ask for it.
Woods, in an interview
published Sunday in The New York Times, said he is trying to avoid
situations in which he can't seem to come out on the right side.
"I have the
feeling that sometimes I can't say anything, because I'm going
to get criticized," Woods told the paper. "And what's
unfair about that is, people always ask my opinion. They ask for
my opinion, and then sometimes when I give it to them, they don't
respect what I have to say. If that's the case, then don't ask."
He said he was surprised
his opinion in this particular debate has become so important.
"I didn't see
it coming to this degree," he said. "Yes, I've always
wanted to impact lives in a positive way. But I like to pick my
own causes, and not be forced into having to do something."
Woods denied he avoids
political controversy to protect his corporate interests and endorsements.
"There's no
validity to that at all," he said. "I'll say what I
believe, but I'll choose when," Woods told the paper on Friday
from Lake Buena Vista, Fla., where he finished third in the Walt
Disney World Golf Classic.
The issue of women
membership at Augusta was first brought up to Woods during the
British Open in July.
At that time he said,
"It would be nice to see everyone have an equal chance to
participate, but there is nothing you can do about it."
When asked again
last week, Woods gave a more detailed answer.
"Do I want to
see a female member?" he said. "Yes. But it's our right
to have any club set up the way we want to."
Woods called for
a compromise to be worked out by Hootie Johnson, the chairman
of Augusta National, and Martha Burk, the chairwoman of the National
Council of Women's Organizations.
"If they both
sat down and talked about it, it would be resolved a lot better
than what is going on right now," Woods said Wednesday.
Johnson has said
Augusta does not have exclusionary policies, although it has never
had a female member in its 70 years, and it wasn't until 1990
that the club admitted a black member.
As Burk began to
pressure corporate sponsors of the Masters, Johnson responded
in late August by dropping them for next year's tournament, making
the Masters the only commercial-free sports broadcast on network
television.
In recent weeks,
the chief executives of American Express, Citigroup Corp. and
the U.S. Olympic Committee _ all members at Augusta _ have issued
statements supporting female members at the home of the Masters.
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