The Masters: Still A Good Old Boys Club At Augusta

The Masters golf tournament kicks off today at Augusta National Golf Club and all eyes will be on Tiger Woods, fresh off his win at Bay Hill two weeks ago, his first win in over two years. While Woods is the favorite to win, the early story line is the same as it is every year, the fact that Augusta National Golf Club still does not allow women to be members of the exclusive southern club. The issue came up yesterday during a press conference when Masters Chairman Billy Payne was asked the question about women becoming members and Payne refused to answer the question yet again.

The problem this year for Augusta is the fact that IBM, the tournament's main sponsor, always invites the new CEO to join the historic golf club, but the current IBM CEO is Virginia Rometty and she is yet to receive a membership invitation.

Payne deflected the question by saying repeatedly that all membership issues are "subject to private deliberations by the members." Will IBM pull their sponsorship money? We'll see.