Newsmakers 2007: Augusta National
November 23, 2007
It was a big year for the Georgia club. It landed Arnold Palmer (pictured)
as its ceremonial starter and followed that with four days of dry, breezy conditions that allowed the course to flex its muscles, resulting in Zach Johnson posting the highest winning score in more than 50 years. Billy Payne stepped in as Augusta National chairman, bringing a more relaxed atmosphere (employees often refer to him as Billy; Hootie Johnson was always "The Chairman") and new qualification standards for '08, including a return to inviting winners of PGA Tour events to the Masters. In October, ESPN was announced as the Masters' Thursday-Friday TV partner--more good news for a club that works year-round to ensure things run like clockwork for one week in April. And at 7:45 a.m. on April 5, time stood still as Payne introduced Palmer, who looked down the fairway and said, "It's sure pretty, isn't it?" For those few minutes the place never looked better.
- Keywords:
- newsmakers 2007,
- Augusta National,
- E. Michael Johnson
