Darla Moore Among First Two Women Invited to Augusta National
Moore is joined by politician Condoleezza Rice.
Ten years of controversy apparently was enough for Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters Tournament.
The club announced on Monday that it had extended invitations to women for the first time in its 80-year history. The banker Darla Moore, a South Carolina native, and former Secretary of State and Defense Condoleezza Rice were invited to join for the season which begins in October. Both women accepted the invitation, according to the AP.
The club had been under fire since at least 2002, when activist Martha Burk attempted to organize a boycott of the club. While the boycott was unsuccessful, Burk did succeed in shining a light on the 80-year-old club's membership practices.
Moore is a native of the Pee Dee area and has been active in South Carolina for most of her life. She donated $25 million to the University of South Carolina in 1998 and USC's School of Business is named in her honor.
Rice has been a trailblazer in several respects. She's the first African-American woman to be Secretary of State and the first female provost in the history of Stanford University
One of South Carolina's leading women Karen Floyd, told Patch, "I don't golf, but the news makes we want to start," Floyd said. "Two better women could not have been selected and the fact that one of them is Darla Moore is a great coup for South Carolina."
At a bill-signing today in Lexington, the state's most prominent female, Gov. Nikki Haley, said she does not play golf but, "It's great news and I applaud Augusta National for the announcement."
NOTE - Karen Floyd and Gov. Haley comments added after original publication.
Richard Hayes
9:56 pm on Monday, August 20, 2012
You mean they sent an invitation to Darla Moore and NOT Nikki Haley.......
John H
7:05 am on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
An offer to Governor Haley would be construed as an attempted bribe of a public official. Representative Raniey would add it to his list of the Governor's ethics violation.
stanley seigler
12:43 am on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
if i were rice or moore, i would tell Augusta National where they could stick their invitation...treat me as a second class for decades...f you...pander to someone else, a-hole...
John H
7:09 am on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
The offer was purely ceremonial... progress I believe. I’d like to know if the two play golf. Maybe they do. The one per centers have their privileges.
I would gladly accept an invitation it offered. "Be wary of a club that would have me as a member."
Richard Hayes
9:06 am on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
I heard both accepted. I know Dr. Rice is a very good golfer - I would be money so is Ms. Moore. Sad they did not offer any Democratic women membership -- maybe Barbara Milkuski or Hillary Clinton....
Stephanie
11:59 am on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Darla Moore is a Democrat and politics should play no part at all in why they have both been invited to join Augusta. Dr. Rice studies golf.
Richard Hayes
12:16 pm on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Stephanie - Darla Moore is NOT a Democrat, but a common-sense Republican
Stephanie
5:00 pm on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Mr. Hayes, your response made me check out my comment and I was wrong. According to an article from 3/24/11, after Nicki Haley replaced Ms. Moore on the Board of Directors at USC, this was in the article, "Moore, who has donated to both Democrats and Republicans but does not list a party affiliation, and Haley did not meet. Haley sent a three-sentence letter, dated March 3, to a New York office, thanking her for her service." She was replaced by Tommy Cofield who gave $4,500.00 to Haley's campaign. I go to church with him and know this to be true. Of course, Ms. Moore hit back very subtly donating $5M for the McNair Center, a project that Haley had already cut from the budget.
Wounded Warrior
12:30 pm on Friday, August 24, 2012
Congrats to DM. Maybe she and Steve Spurrier could play a round or 3 together. Pretty powerful duo there.