Masters feels growing Payne as Augusta looks to future

[Sports News]

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By Steve Keating AUGUSTA, Georgia (Reuters) - Once resistant to opening club doors to blacks and women, Augusta National, the manicured and staid home of the Masters, has often embraced change as enthusiastically as most Americans welcome higher taxes. Augusta National has helped develop and promote the Asia-Pacific and Latin America Amateur Championships, with the winners earning a spot in the year's first major. "We have been working very hard, trying to do our best to positively address the mandate of continuous improvement established by beloved co-founders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts," Augusta chairman Billy Payne told reporters during his annual press conference on Wednesday. "Doing the best we can do, now includes a growing emphasis on our efforts to help others grow the game." Payne, who oversaw the running of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, took over from Hootie Johnson as club chairman in 2006.

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