Masters golf: 12 women candidates for Augusta National membership

The Augusta National Golf Club has steadfastly refused to alter its all-male membership. But circumstances may soon cause the gender barrier to break, and if it does there are several women who might be good fits for the club.

- Ross Atkin, Staff

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U.S. Secretary of State-designate Condoleezza Rice listens to a question from then-Senator Barack Obama during her confirmation hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in this 2005 file photo. (John Nordell/The Christian Science Monitor/File)

Condoleezza Rice

The former US Secretary of State and current political science professor is a big sports fan and an avid golfer who plays about three times a week on Stanford University’s campus course during the summer. She takes lessons in both Palo Alto, Calif., and in Birmingham, Ala., her hometown and the location of the once-segregated Shoal Creek club, where she is a member. In an online interview with Golf Digest, she said her goal is to break 90 more consistently. In speaking of her aggressive approach to playing the game, she says, “My inner Phil Mickelson comes out quite frequently.”