The officials behind the famed Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia, have apparently declined to take action against or condemn the state's controversial new voting law.
Masters chairman Fred Ridley, speaking with reporters ahead of Thursday's opening round on Wednesday, acknowledged "calls for boycotts and other punitive measures," but said such actions would only hurt the "most vulnerable."
"We realize that views and opinions on this law differ, and there have been calls for boycotts and other punitive measures," Ridley said. "Unfortunately, those actions often impose the greatest burdens on the most vulnerable in our society. And in this case, that includes our friends and neighbors here in Augusta, who are the very focus of the positive difference we are trying to make."
Critics of the bill, including President Biden, say it was designed to make it more difficult for Black citizens to cast their ballots.
Major League Baseball last week abruptly moved its annual All-Star Game festivities from Atlanta's Truist Park in response to the law -- a decision apparently made by Commissioner Rob Manfred with relatively little input from the league's owners or players.
Manfred himself is a member at the iconic Augusta National Golf Club, which hosts the famed Masters tournament every year. Critics of MLB's decision to move the All-Star Game, including Sen. Marco Rubio, called on Manfred to drop his membership at the ultra-exclusive club, which has come under withering criticism in the past over its resistance to allowing Black and female members.
Ridley on Wednesday wasn't asked about MLB's decision, ESPN reported.
He did say the right to vote was "essential," but clarified that he wasn't specifically addressing Georgia's law.
"I believe -- and I am confident that every member of this club believes -- that voting is an essential fundamental right in our society and that, as I stated, that anything that disadvantages anyone to vote is wrong and should be addressed," Ridley said. "I'm not going to speak to the specifics of the law, but I do know that ... I think there's a resolution, and I think that resolution is going to be based on people working together and talking and having constructive dialogue because that's the way our democratic society works. And while I know you would like for us to make a proclamation on this, I just don't think that is going to be helpful to ultimately reaching a resolution."
Ridley touted golf trailblazer's Lee Elder scheduled appearance as honorary starter on Thursday, the report said. Elder broke the Masters' color barrier in 1975, and will appear as a starter alongside Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.
Cameron Champ, the lone Black player in this year's tournament, said the bill's passage was "very shocking," and praised MLB's response as a "big statement." The 25-year-old said he would offer his support to organizations and companies opposed to the law.
Last year's Masters, won by Dustin Johnson, was postponed to November because of the pandemic.
The tournament's first tee time was set for 8 a.m. ET on Thursday.