AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2007 > April > 04 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USPayne cool and professional
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
Augusta — He did not march in behind a parade of flags. There was no sounding of bugles or dropping of confetti or an Al Haig declaration of power.
Pimento-cheese — safe. Martha? Not so much.
“They forgot to send me my invitation,” Martha Burk said by phone. “I would have imagined my VIP pass would be FedEx’d.”
It wasn’t quite the start of Billy Payne’s reign over Augusta National Wednesday. But he held his first Masters press conference, which fairly equates to driving off the first tee. If Payne’s intent was to set the early tone for his tenure, think Hootie Johnson — only cleaned, pressed and run through a politician’s spin cycle.
The man ran the Olympics. Golf writers, he can handle. Issues like tournament qualifications, membership policies and course changes — they pale in comparison to an Olympic city being likened to a flea market and the French media screaming about broken down buses.
Payne smiled often during the news conference. Whether it was genuine didn’t matter. He was more convincing than Hootie. Perception is everything.
He hit on all the talking points. He referenced Bobby Jones, Cliff Roberts and perfect greens. He talked about having been to 110 countries, “and I would call this the most beautiful piece of real estate in the world.”
Release the doves.
Payne made the popular, if not unexpected, announcement that PGA Tour winners will receive a hall pass into the ensuing Masters. This comes after he helped convince Arnold Palmer to be the tournament’s honorary starter.
If Payne was considering the White House in 2008, this would be a good time to declare.
He has been visible all week. There have been handshakes and face time in the media workroom. (The assumption is Johnson didn’t realize such a place existed, or he might have converted it into a storage facility.)
It has been a lovefest. At the traditional “Champions Dinner” Tuesday night, Payne endeared himself to players in the best way possible.
“He was very complimentary, [saying] players make the tournament what it is,” Tom Watson said. “He said, ‘It’s not Augusta National that makes this tournament. It’s you players who make this tournament.’ He said that very graciously.”
Watson said the transition from Johnson to Payne has been “seamless.”
In some ways. But Johnson was a blast furnace. Payne is a thermostat, set to 72.
Johnson reacted to Martha Burk’s protests of Augusta’s exclusionary policy against women by saying he would not be shaken or swayed “at the point of a bayonet.” But Payne, well-practiced, responded to the topic without emotion, and hardly a soundbite: “All members are subject to the private deliberations of the members. Other than that, I’m simply not going to talk about it.”
For the second time in three years, New York congresswoman Carolyn Maloney began Masters week by introducing the “Ending Tax Breaks for Discrimination Act.” The bill, which would eliminate tax breaks for businesses related to private clubs that discriminate against race, religion or sex, was defeated in 2005. She also introduced the “Fair Play-Equal Access in Membership Resolution,” an attempt to dissuade federal officials from belonging to exclusionary clubs.
But Payne wouldn’t bite Wednesday. “I’m aware it’s been done many times in the past and there’s no significant developments of which I’m aware.”
He ignored Burk’s request for a meeting, so Burk resumed going after corporations that associate with the club. When asked about Payne, she threw a hook: “He’s got this image [of being open-minded]. I don’t know where he got it. … There’s no point in me tilting at that windmill in Augusta [to protest].”
It is peaceful outside the gates here, and serene inside. Perfect weather. Perfect conditions. Stepford.
Payne waxed on about Masters history. He laughed. He bantered. Asked about whether he has been approached with potential changes, he said: “We don’t have a suggestion box.” Firmness, with a smile.
He was a sophomore at Georgia when he attended his first Masters. The tickets came from a fraternity brother, and Payne made his way from Athens with his girlfriend and soon-to-be wife. “We drove down here in my pink Chevrolet 1947 coupe that I shared with my sister,” he said. “Honestly, we were just blown away by the majesty and the beauty.”
Another Augusta talking point. He’s done this before.
Permalink | Comments (8) | Post your comment | Categories: Jeff Schultz, Masters
Comments
By Howard
April 4, 2007 8:47 PM | Link to this
Jeff…why even include those two worthless, busy-body women in your otherwise good column?? Martha Burk has always been and will forever be one of the biggest losers in the liberal, far-left parallel universe. I just laugh inside when I think back to that silly protest she called that year and all that came were the rains. Oh, I loved how Hootie Johnson handled that butt-in-ski of an old liberal broad!!!
By Matthew At The SLC
April 4, 2007 9:33 PM | Link to this
Schultz, why do you always have to mention Burk’s name when all of us but you seem to have forgotten it? I understand that you are a sheep to your ideology (I remain blissfully without one), but man, you need to drop your personal ideology on this one and realize that Burk’s dog won’t hunt. In this country where there are plenty of women’s colleges, yet no more men’s colleges, where there women are pushing themselves into boys clubs, yet not letting boys into their clubs, there is a vast feministic hypocrisy rising. Dude, get a clue. Sometimes men just need a place where they don’t have to women around. Where they can be men. Now, I know in this politically correct world where men are no longer allowed to be men, and people with your same ideology are psychologically neutering men (and even worse, little boys) right and left and turning the male gender into a bunch of wusses, that is an alien idea.
A place for men to be men. Women have their own clubs. Why do they need to insinuate themselves into ours? Why can’t men have their own colleges, but it’s perfectly okay for women to have their’s, Jeff? Why does the Citidel have to admit women, yet Agnes Scott can continue to DISCRIMINATE against men?
As someone who sits in the middle politically and votes his conscience and not some outdated ideology, I would take Martha Burk a hell of a lot more seriously if she would be against ALL discrimination. But she isn’t, Jeff. She’s all for the neutering of the male gender and discriminating against men. And that’s not right. And for the last time, as long as Augusta is a private institution, they are CONSTITUTIONALY PROTECTED to admit who they want. Why is it, Jeff, that those of your ideological bent who scream about the first amendment at every opportunity like the ignore or forget about that parts of the constitution you don’t like? Like the 2nd amendment. I don’t get it. If you’re going to champion the Bill of Rights, you can’t toss out the parts you don’t like. If you’re going to champion the constitution, don’t be a hypocrite (Mrs. Burk) when you say you want to change it. Don’t just want change it to fit your hypocrisy. If you want to end gender discrimination, remember that there are TWO genders, and they can both be discriminating against.
When you people do that, Jeff, you invalidate your whole argument. Just like those imbeciles who claim to be Christians and say that the Bible tells them it’s okay to hate or judge gay people because of a very obscure, two-line passage in Leviticus (which also says you can sell you daughter into slavery, but I digress), yet want to ignore Jesus’s greatest teachings: Do onto others… love your neighbor as you love yourself… do not judge lest you be judged. These people who feel like it’s okay to judge others, that someone else’s sin is worse than their own (when God says all sins are equal in His eyes) aren’t real Christians, because they really don’t get it.
Just like you and Martha Burk really don’t get it. And just Terence Moore really doesn’t get it when he trots out his hypocrisy-filled tirade against baseball because it doesn’t have enough of the “right” kind of minority (black americans) yet completly ignores the multitude of the “wrong” (in Terence’s eyes) minority (latinos and asians) that baseball employs.
Y’all just don’t get it.
See what I mean. Maybe if you and Marth Burk started picketing Agnes Scott and the other PRIVATE institutions that discriminate against men, then we would take what you say seriously. Otherwise, leave your outdated sheepish devotion to your ideology at the house and off the page.
Thanks.
By Freddy
April 4, 2007 10:10 PM | Link to this
Who the heck is the Bobby Johnson you referenced?
Seems like someone who’s going to write this column would get the name correct. Is JONES that hard to remember?
By Cobb
April 4, 2007 11:32 PM | Link to this
I didn’t know Vanderbilt was playing in Augusta. Bobby Johnson? I don’t think Bobby Johnson has ever worn knickers.
By JSS
April 4, 2007 11:35 PM | Link to this
The NO TALENT HACK meant “Hootie,” but would you expect him to know that when he’s piggybacking on the work of others…
I love it when men (and I am a REAL MAN) always start bringing up institutions set up to aid others opportunities denied to them by the priviledge of power (being a man of a priviledged class). Agnes Scott College denies no man an opportunity to receive a college education, neither does Weslelyn in Macon… All of their Graduate prorams are open to men as well as women… They do provide young women the chance to receive an undergraduate education devoid of men like Matthew or the perv Jeff Schultz who judges 19 to 22 year old cheerleaders as the yardstick of the gameday experience…
I wish Martha well, not for me, I’m confortable standing outside the gate on Washington and never walking the grounds… But if my 14 year old goddaughter who is going to be a great person is denied the chance to be a powerplayer because of some good old boys and their UGA don’t rock the boat show wives, then Martha pickup a ram’s horn and call on the dogs war!!!
By crater head
April 5, 2007 8:35 AM | Link to this
Nice article Jeff. One would normally have to view the writings of a 1st grader to gain such intellect.
By Power of Light
April 5, 2007 12:49 PM | Link to this
Tiger will rule this event. The Light guarantees it.
By Paul L.
April 5, 2007 5:49 PM | Link to this
Why should I listen to the opinion of the person who wrote this? Link Duke women show lack of sensitivity “the Duke women’s lacrosse players stretched the bounds of free speech past the stupidity dividing line. They said they would wear sweatbands with the word, “innocent,” on their arms and legs for Friday night’s national semifinal against Northwestern. It would be a show of support for the men’s lacrosse team, specifically the three players who have been indicted for rape.” … “These are stupid, spoiled little girls. It smacks of high school. Maybe one day when they’ll read about one of their friends who was raped. Then they’ll rethink this.”