Masters to be held as scheduled despite Hurricane Helene damage – Augusta chief

Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley has vowed that next year’s Masters will take place as scheduled despite “a lot of damage” caused by Hurricane Helene.

Helene blew ashore in northern Florida late last week as a Category 4 hurricane and quickly moved north, with deaths also reported in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Georgia governor Brian Kemp said the storm “literally spared no-one”.

Most people in and around Augusta, a city of about 200,000 near the South Carolina border, lacked power.

Speaking in a press conference ahead of the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship in Japan, Ridley reiterated that Augusta National was focused on assisting the wider community to recover from the devastation, but did address the topic of the Masters.

“Back to one of the first questions… the Masters will be held, [and] it will be on the dates it’s scheduled to be held,” Ridley said in quotes reported by Golf Digest.

The 2025 Masters is scheduled to be staged from April 10-13, with Scottie Scheffler set to defend his title.

Augusta National closed in May for its annual summer break and had been due to reopen in mid-October.

“As far as the golf course, it really was affected just as the rest of the community was,” Ridley added. “There was a lot of damage and we have a lot of people working hard to get us back up and running.

“We’ve been able to take care of our employees, but we’ve also been focused on what the Red Cross and other organisations are doing in Augusta, and our employees really have been a big part of that, which I think really speaks for them and the culture at the club.”

Later on Thursday, Ridley announced that Augusta National, in partnership with the Community Foundation for the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA), will donate five million US dollars (£3.8million) towards the Hurricane Helene Community Crisis Fund.

“I was in Augusta in the days immediately after the storm and have seen first-hand its devastating impact,” Ridley said in a statement.

“Our employees, neighbours, friends and business owners need, and deserve, immediate and meaningful assistance to overcome the hardships being experienced at this moment throughout Augusta.”