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The chairman of Augusta National Golf Club has confirmed that this year’s Masters Tournament will go ahead as scheduled, despite damage done to the course by Hurricane Helene last autumn.
Aerial footage that was widely shared on social media in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane appeared to show several trees down around the property, including Magnolia Lane.
However, speaking to reporters during this week’s Latin Amateur Amateur Championship in Argentina, Fred Ridley revealed that the course is in “spectacular condition” ahead of April’s 88th staging of the Masters.
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“As far as the impact, the long-term impact, we have not quite as many trees as we did a year ago,” said Ridley. “As far as the golf course goes, it’s in spectacular condition.
“I think we had minor damage to the course, the playing surfaces themselves, but we were able to get that back in shape, but I don’t think you’re going to see any difference in the condition for the Masters this year.”
The freak weather event caused widespread damage to Georgia, prompting Augusta National Golf Club to donate $5million towards recovery efforts.
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“Hurricane Helene was really a devastating event for the Augusta community and for a number of communities in the southeast, particularly in western North Carolina,” added Ridley. “We suffered a fair amount of impact from the hurricane, as did the entire community.
“I think what I’m the most proud of is the response of our entire organisation to that natural disaster, which is really what it was.
“Not only what they did to get Augusta National back in shape, but as importantly, how they pitched in with the Augusta community and really helped out because there were many, many people, many of our people were out of their homes for a number of weeks. No electricity. The community didn’t have water for a while.
“I’m just really proud of how our entire organisation responded to that.”
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