* Condoleezza Rice, Darla Moore to join prestigious club
* Male-only membership policy drew criticism
* Obama welcomes decision - White House
(Adds further Moore background, Woods quotes)
Aug 20 (Reuters) - Augusta National Golf Club, home of the
Masters golf tournament, finally ended an all-male policy that
had endured for 80 years when it announced on Monday that two
women would be admitted as members for the first time.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and
financier Darla Moore will become the first women to don the
renowned green jackets when the Augusta, Georgia, club re-opens
for a new season in October.
Augusta National's male-only status has drawn criticism for
years. Ahead of this year's Masters tournament in April,
President Barack Obama weighed in on the matter, saying through
a spokesman that he believed women should be admitted.
"This is a joyous occasion as we enthusiastically welcome
Secretary Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore as members of Augusta
National Golf Club," Billy Payne, the club's chairman, said in a
statement.
Payne, who has refused in the past to speak publicly about
membership matters, did not directly address the gender bar
issue in his statement, saying only that it was a "significant
and positive time" for the club and that Rice and Moore were
subjected to the same review as other candidates.
"Consideration with regard to any candidate is deliberate,
held in strict confidence and always takes place over an
extended period of time," Payne said. "The process for
Condoleezza and Darla was no different."
Obama had increased the pressure on Augusta National when he
said in April that the club should admit women as members.
"He welcomes this development, thinks it was too long in
coming but obviously believes it's the right thing to do," White
House spokesman Jay Carney told a news briefing on Monday.
Rice, recently appointed to the U.S. Golf Association's
nominating committee, said in a statement: "I have visited
Augusta National on several occasions and look forward to
playing golf, renewing friendships and forming new ones through
this very special opportunity."
Rice, 57, was national security adviser under former
President George W. Bush before becoming the first black female
secretary of state in his second term. In 2010, she became a
faculty member of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a
director of its global center for business and the economy.
Tiger Woods, who knows Rice through Stanford and became the
first black player to win the Masters, with a record-shattering
victory by 12 shots, in 1997, said: "I think the decision by the
Augusta National membership is important to golf.
"The club continues to demonstrate its commitment to
impacting the game in positive ways. I would like to
congratulate both new members, especially my friend Condi Rice."
Moore, 58, received an MBA from George Washington University
and by the early 1990s had become the highest-paid woman in
banking. She is a partner of the private investment firm
Rainwater, Inc., which was founded by her husband, Richard
Rainwater.
"I am fortunate to have many friends who are members at
Augusta National, so to be asked to join them as a member
represents a very happy and important occasion in my life,"
Moore said in a statement.
LONG-TIME FRIENDS
Moore is a long-time friend of William "Hootie" Johnson,
Augusta National's former chairman, and they share a South
Carolina background and careers in banking.
"This is wonderful news for Augusta National Golf Club and I
could not be more pleased," Johnson said in a statement to South
Carolina's The State newspaper. "Darla Moore is my good friend,
and I know she and Condoleezza Rice will enjoy the club as much
as I have."
Tim Finchem, commissioner of the U.S. PGA Tour, also
applauded Monday's announcement by Augusta National.
"At a time when women represent one of the fastest growing
segments in both playing and following the game of golf, this
sends a positive and inclusive message for our sport," he said
in a statement.
Augusta National's membership policy has been an issue for
years, most notably a decade ago when Martha Burk of the
National Council of Women's Organizations led a series of
protests that prompted a heated war of words with Augusta's
then-chairman Johnson.
"There may well come a day when women will be invited to
join our membership, but that timetable will be ours, and not at
the point of a bayonet," Johnson declared at the time.
The widespread calls for female members took on added
significance after Ginni Rometty became chief executive officer
of IBM Corp in January.
IBM, the world's largest technology services company, is a
long-standing sponsor of the Masters, the first of the four
"major" golf tournaments of the year, and its past four CEOs
were granted membership to Augusta National. Rometty, however,
was not included in Monday's announcement of new members.
Augusta's invitation-only membership has been steeped in
secrecy since the club opened in 1932. Prior to Monday's
ground-breaking announcement, women were allowed to play the
course only if invited by a member.
The club does not reveal its full list of members, believed
to be around 300, although it is known that some of the most
powerful men from industry and finance, including Bill Gates and
Warren Buffett, are members.
It was not until 1990 that Augusta National invited its
first black member, businessman Ron Townsend, following
accusations of racial discrimination at the whites-only Shoal
Creek club in Alabama that was selected to host the PGA
Championship, another of the four major tournaments.
IBM joined other sponsors in putting pressure on Shoal Creek
by pulling its television advertisements.
(Additional reporting by Dan Burns, Steve Ginsburg and Laura
MacInnis; Editing by Eric Beech and Paul Simao)