Atlanta Olympics Chief Relinquishes Augusta Role

(ATR) Billy Payne has presided over his final Masters.

The former president of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics is handing over the chairmanship of the Augusta National Golf Club after 11 years at the helm.

The change came Tuesday when the Augusta Board of Directors approved Fred Ridley as Payne’s successor. Ridley, 65, won the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1975. He will take over from Payne on October 16, Payne’s 70th birthday. He will continue at Augusta as chairman emeritus.

"The privilege I experienced serving as Chairman of Augusta National and the Masters was far greater than I could have ever imagined," Payne said in a press release issued by the golf club.

"Just as nothing can prepare you for the unique responsibilities and important decisions that come with this position, it is equally impossible to anticipate the many joys and, most importantly, the wonderful friendships that are the ultimate reward of service. This honor, however, is too great for one person to claim as their own for too long a period of time.

"I retire knowing it is simply the right thing to do – and at the right moment – to open the door and invite someone new to be called upon to lead, bring forth new ideas and craft a new vision that will honor our Founders and serve the game of golf for many years to come," says Payne.

Payne joined Augusta shortly after the end of the 1996 Olympics. For the first fewyears of his membership he was chairman of the press committee. In 2006 he was elected as the sixth chairman of the club.

In his tenure as chair, Payne backed the admission of the first women to Augusta. The absence of women as well as blacks from the membership roll of the club doomed his attempt to add golf to the 1996 Olympics. The controversial proposal, which Payne announced at Augusta in 1992, drew objections due to the membership policies and never gained support of the IOC.

Golf made its return to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro last year and is on the program for Tokyo in 2020. The IOC will confirm the program for the 2024 Games in Paris when it meets in Lima, Peru next month.

Other accomplishments for Payne in his Augusta chairmanship include the establishment of an Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and a similar event in Latin America.

Sensitive to the spectator experience, Payne led the push to expand free parking for Masters patrons by purchasing land adjacent to the golf course in eastern Georgia. This year Augusta opened a new press center and tournament headquarters.

"What I do is I do my very best at everything that I attempt to do," Payne said in an interview Tuesday with Golf World.

"Sometimes it might not be good enough. Sometimes it may be misdirected. Nevertheless, I’m never going to be in the place where lack of effort was the contributing factor in failure. I’m just not gonna put myself there," Payne said.

Written by Ed Hula.

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