Augusta National has a few more trees but is otherwise in “fantastic shape” ahead of the 89th Masters play in April.
Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National, shared the update Thursday, three months after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc across the Southeast, including Augusta, Georgia, home of a major golf tournament.
“In terms of impact, long-term impact, we don’t have as many trees as we did last year,” Ridley told reporters in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where this year’s Latin America Amateur Championship — and the venue for the winner — is being played. “As for the golf course, it’s in pretty good shape. I think we had a little damage to the course, the fairways themselves, but we were able to get it back in shape, but I don’t think you’re going to see any difference in the condition of the Masters this year.”
Ridley previously announced that Augusta National is donating $5 million to the Hurricane Helene Community Disaster Fund.
He acknowledged Thursday how “devastating” the storm has been to Southeast and the Augusta community but praised the club’s work in helping with the recovery.
“I think the thing I’m most proud of is the way our entire organization responded to this natural disaster, which is what it was,” he told reporters. “And not only what did they do to get Augusta National back on track, but more importantly, how they met with the Augusta community and really helped because there were many, many people, many of our people were out of their homes for a number of weeks. There was no electricity. The community was without water for a while.
“So, I’m proud of how our entire organization responded to that.”
This year’s Masters will be held April 10-13. Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion.
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