Washington (AFP) – Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley said Thursday the home of the Masters suffered damage from Hurricane Helene but vowed the tournament will be played next April as planned. Ridley announced the club’s $5 million donation to a fund supporting Augusta-area recovery efforts from the storm, which battered the southeastern United States last week.
“I was in Augusta in the days immediately after the storm and have seen firsthand its devastating impact,” Ridley said in a statement. “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.”
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Ridley also spoke in Japan at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and said Augusta National suffered “a lot of damage” from the storm, knocking out electricity and water at the famed course. “There was a lot of damage and we have a lot of people working hard to get us back up and running.”
Ridley said the Masters would begin April 10 as scheduled. “The Masters will be held,” he said. “It will be on the dates it’s scheduled to be held.”
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