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.”
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
