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Zogby: Tiger Woods Should Be Mum on Masters

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As the world’s elite golfers prepare to tee it up Thursday for the 2007 Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, a new Zogby Interactive survey shows American golf fans would prefer that Tiger Woods and just about everyone else ignore a simmering controversy surrounding the venerable club hosting the event.

While the issue has stirred tremendous controversy in years past, not much has been made this year about Augusta’s refusal to allow women members to join the historic club, and that’s OK with most golf fans, the Zogby survey shows.

More than three out of four golf fans — 77 percent — said they believe that because Augusta National is a private club, they should be able to pick and choose their membership without interference from outside forces. Just 20 percent said they think the club should allow women as members.

The online survey was conducted April 2-4, 2007, included 923 golf fans, and carries a margin of error of +/- 3.3 percentage points.

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Even among female golf fans, the sentiment is heavily in favor of Augusta retaining the sovereignty over its membership rules — 71 percent of female golf fans said they believe it should be up to the club whether or not to invite women to join. Eighty percent of men agreed.

Womens’ rights groups have in past years protested the club’s all-male membership policy, but to little effect. Top PGA players have not involved themselves in the issue. Because of his stature at the top of the game, and because of his status as a racial minority, some have pressured Woods, far and away the top golfer in the world today according to official World Golf Ranking statistics, to get involved in the issue to push for female members at Augusta. Woods has not done so.

And, the Zogby online poll shows, that’s just as most golf fans would want it to be — 79 percent of those who said they follow pro golf either very closely or somewhat closely said he should not call for the club to change its membership rules regarding women. Asked if he should refuse to play in the Masters Golf Tournament at the club until the rule is changed, 87 percent of golf fans said "no." Just 7 percent said he should boycott the Masters.

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