Not that the membership of the Augusta National Golf Club ever lacked power or influence, but as the world of professional golf heads toward having dueling and rival high-end tours, it may be Augusta National, and that little tournament it runs each April down in Georgia, that has the most of whatever sway still remains.
That includes the Masters itself.
The Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour kicked off Thursday outside of London at about the same time as the PGA Tour banned 17 of the players participating in it, including Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson.