Annika Sorenstam becomes the first LPGA professional to join Augusta National Golf Club, where membership remains one of the most sought-after affirmations of success
Last updated: 10/26/23 7:26 PM
Annika Sorenstam has become the newest female member of Augusta National Golf Club
Ten-time LPGA major champion Annika Sorenstam has become the newest female member of Augusta National Golf Club, president Fred Ridley confirmed Thursday.
“I have known Annika for some time and I think she will be a great addition to the club,” Ridley said on Thursday ahead of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship. “I can tell you she can still play, and it was just a joy to be with her.”
Women were barred from membership in the Georgia house of The Masters until 2012.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and financier Darla Moore were the first women to receive Augusta National membership.
“We have a number of female members and have done so for quite a number of years,” Ridley said. “I think it has made us a better club, and they are an integral part of our culture.”
Augusta National was founded in 1932 as a men-only club and began hosting the Masters in 1934.
Sorenstam became the first woman to play a PGA Tour event since 1945 when she competed in what was then known as the Bank of America Colonial.
Twenty years ago, women’s activist Martha Burk, of the National Council of Women’s Organizations, demonstrated and campaigned against the lack of female members at Augusta National.
Other confirmed female members at Augusta National include Heidi Ueberroth, co-chairman of Pebble Beach Co., former USGA President Diana Murphy, former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty and Ana Botin, executive chairman of the Santander Group.
Sorenstam, 53, has won 97 professional tournaments during her career, including 72 on the LPGA Tour.
The Swede has ten major championships to her name and also captured the US Senior Women’s Open title in 2021.