Payne won't make many club changes

The Georgia native is just the sixth chairman in the club's 73-year history.
By DOUG FERGUSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The new chairman of Augusta National brings an old set of ideals to the home of the Masters.
Billy Payne, the first chairman born in Georgia and the first with no tangible link to club founders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, said Monday his goal was to preserve the traditions of Augusta National and that he had no time for Martha Burk.
"I'm very much aware of her position on all issues as they relate to Augusta National, and I don't really see at this time that any dialogue would be meaningful or helpful," Payne said in a conference call, his first comments since he was selected Friday to replace Hootie Johnson as chairman of perhaps the most powerful club in golf.
Burk led a spirited but unsuccessful campaign for Augusta National to invite women to join, and the former head of the National Council of Women's Organizations held out hope that Johnson's retirement might change the club's position.
No timetable for women
But when Payne was asked whether females were in the club's future, the answer came out of the past.
"As we've said, and as you've heard many times in the past on membership matters, all of them will be decided by our members, and we have no specific timetable to address that issue," Payne said.
Payne becomes the sixth chairman in the 73-year-history of the club effective May 21, when the course is shut down for the summer. Unlike Johnson, who was a member for 30 years before becoming chairman, Payne only joined Augusta National nine years ago and was the media chairman during the Masters since 2000.
Johnson, who keeps a framed photo of himself with Roberts on a corner table in his office overlooking the course, attended his first Masters in 1935.
Payne is the first chairman who never met either of the founders; Roberts and Jones had died long before Payne became a member.
"I have read extensively about their lives and I know a lot about their work at Augusta National," Payne said.
"And I think these writings have proven and will continue to prove invaluable lessons for me."
Hootie chairman emeritus
Johnson will be chairman emeritus, and Payne said he would continue to lean on him for advice. But he denied having to be on the same page as his predecessor before taking the job.
"My employment was not conditioned on how I responded to any questions," Payne said.
As for the golf course, the only changes for the 2007 Masters is that it might play shorter -- but not by much.
Payne said the tee boxes on Nos. 11 and 15 are the shortest at Augusta National, and they would be expanded 5 to 7 yards so they are the same size as the others -- about 20 yards.
That would allow officials to move the tees all the way forward if needed.
"These changes will provide us with more flexibility if the holes are playing into a substantial headwind, or if the fairway conditions are soft," Payne said.
He also said grass under the stand of pine trees right of the 11th fairway would be replaced by pine straw, consistent with the rest of the course; and that the fairway would be 3 to 5 yards wider on the right to give medium-length hitters a wider landing area from 280 yards to 300 yards off the tee.
No more lengthening planned
Augusta National was lengthened nearly 500 yards during Johnson's eight years as chairman, but Payne suggested it would be a while before any more holes were drastically changed. He said the minor alterations to the 11th and 15th already were in the works.
"I think we just have it just about right," Payne said.
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