'A Lot Of Damage' To Augusta National But Masters Expected To Be Held As Planned
Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley says The Masters will be staged on time despite extensive damage to the course caused by Hurricane Helene
Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley has insisted the 2025 Masters will be played as scheduled despite the course suffering "a lot of damage" during Hurricane Helene, with the club now focused on helping locals in the area recover from the historic storm.
Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc on the southeast of the United States, with Florida, North Carolina and Georgia suffering power outages, massive floods and sadly deaths.
And while The Masters is always at the forefront, Augusta National is currently thinking about the local community by being part of a joint $5m donation to the local relief effort.
Pictures and videos on social media have shown huge damage around the Augusta area, including several trees down on the famous Magnolia Lane, but Ridley has insisted The Masters will go ahead as planned.
“As far as the golf course, it really was affected just as the rest of the community was - there was a lot of damage and we have a lot of people working hard to get us back up and running,” Ridley said at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Japan.
“We don't really know exactly what that's going to mean, but I can tell you if it’s humanly possible, we will be back in business sooner rather than later.
"The Masters will be held, it will be on the dates it’s scheduled to be held.”
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Some pictures have also seen the famous Rae's Creek overflowing, but the full extent of the damage to Augusta National is not yet fully known.
The tournament is not the top priority right now though, and Ridley announced that the club had partnered with the Community Foundation for the Central Savannah River Area to donate $5m to local relief efforts.
Augusta National Golf Club, in partnership with the Community Foundation for the CSRA, is donating $5 million towards the Hurricane Helene Community Crisis Fund, which will support local relief efforts in response to the devastating impact of the storm throughout the greater… pic.twitter.com/jlIWaSoKefOctober 3, 2024
“I was in Augusta in the days immediately after the storm and have seen firsthand its devastating impact,” said Ridley. “Our employees, neighbors, friends and business owners need, and deserve, immediate and meaningful assistance to overcome the hardships being experienced at this moment throughout Augusta.
“Augusta National and the Community Foundation each take to heart our obligation to care for our community.
"Our goal is to make a difference when it’s needed the most, and our hope is that our gift may inspire others to assist or ask how they may contribute to this critical mission.”
Augusta National is also donating to help the local American Red Cross response which includes a mobile food truck for local residents and a recovery center at the HUB for Community Innovation, where locals can get food, water, showers and counseling services.
“Our Augusta community has suffered catastrophic and historic impact from Hurricane Helene. We currently are assessing the effects at Augusta National Golf Club. In the meantime, our focus and efforts are foremost with our staff, neighbors and business owners in Augusta. Our…September 28, 2024
Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.
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