Hurrying slowly is the mission of Masters

Fred Ridley remains vigilant about the future of the big distance debate of golf.

No Masters ball, no LPGA Tour event and no immediate changes to the 13th hole. But there will be one great new tunnel, oh, and some pressure on golf's governing bodies.

These are the main results of the annual address of Fred Ridley & # 39; s annual president at Augusta National today, the only day of the year on which the most influential club of golf publicly expresses its vote.

Ridley said he was delighted to witness the passion and exposure that the inaugural Augusta National Women & # 39; s Amateur tournament had generated worldwide at the weekend.

But when asked about the prospects of reopening the doors for a professional women's event, Ridley hit the brakes hard.

"Our attention has gone through our history, as far as our efforts to promote the game outside of the Masters have always been on amateur golf," said Ridley, a former USGA president who initiated ANWA when he became president in October 2017. .

"I think that what we would like to do and hopefully will achieve, do things that are beneficial to golf, benefit professional ladies' sport and all golf. But by promoting female amateurs, the future stars of the Ladies Professional Golf Association, would like to think that that is also something for them.

"We tried to strike a balance between offering female competitors the opportunity to be with Augusta National, to have a championship decided at Augusta National, but keep in mind that we were only a few days away of the Masters.

"So … with the Masters as the epicenter of our competitive tournament management efforts, we have some limitations as to what we could do, and we try to balance that by deciding how we can best use our resources for the well-being of the I think this is the approach that we will continue to follow. "

While the Masters are preparing for the 83rd edition with the longest ever course – thanks to the fifth tee that was moved 40 meters back – Ridley said that the prospect of extending the 13th hole remained a possibility, but not immediately.

The club has purchased land from the neighboring Augusta Country Club to give itself the power to change the 13th if decisions about the distance technology of golf would continue to change the original design philosophy of the game's best-known par-five

"Admittedly, that gap does not play the way it was intended by (designers Bobby) Jones and (Alister) MacKenzie. The weighty decision I have talked about and what Bobby Jones often talked about, of going green in two, is to a large extent no longer relevant.

"Although we now have options to increase the length of this gap, we intend to wait to see how the distance can be addressed by the governing bodies before taking action.

"In doing so, we fully acknowledge that the distance problem poses difficult questions without easy answers. But please know this: The USGA and the R & A have the importance of the game in their hearts, they acknowledge the importance of their future actions. You can be sure that we will continue to argue for sector-wide cooperation to support governing bodies in resolving this very important issue. "

When asked if he hesitated to make changes to "Amen Corner", Ridley said he didn't want to move too quickly because it was such a famous part of the course

"There is no hesitation on my part or historically from Augusta National to make changes that have been observed over the years. (But) Amen Corner is a sacred place in the golf world. I don't hesitate to move fast in that regard.

"My preference … would be to see what happens, what the governing bodies decide is best for the game, and then we will take appropriate action in response."

Ridley also sniffed the thought that if remote technology was not based on touring the world, a "Masters ball" – with controlled specifications and for use by all players – could be introduced.

"I think it would be very unlikely that we would ever produce a Masters ball. There are a whole range of reasons for that, but I think you can be pretty sure that it is."

He then confirmed that with the help of local and national authorities, Augusta National would begin building a tunnel that would run under Washington Rd, the main road north.

In addition to improving traffic and pedestrian flow, Ridley said that it would be possible to create an ultra-modern television and digital connection over the existing road, eliminating the current smaller structures between the par-three lane and the 11th tee of the road to become. main dish.

Ridley also said there was a discussion about a Masters-specific exit on the nearby Interstate highway.