Augusta National damaged by Helene, but Masters should be OK

Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley said Thursday that he is confident the Masters will be played in April as scheduled despite the storied golf course suffering “a lot of damage” Friday from Hurricane Helene.

The 89th Masters is scheduled for April 10-13.

“I’m confident that the Masters will be held, it will be held on the dates that it’s scheduled to be held,” Ridley told reporters during a news conference at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Japan.

The death toll from Hurricane Helene had reached 200 as of Thursday, according to The Associated Press. The Category 4 hurricane made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region last week, causing catastrophic damage in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. It is the deadliest mainland hurricane since Katrina in 2005.

Augusta experienced tropical-storm-force winds Friday morning. According to the National Weather Service, a wind gust of 82 mph was observed at Augusta Regional Airport. First responders reported that trees fell on many houses, cars and roads in the area.

“As far as the golf course, it really was affected just as the rest of the community was. … There was a lot of damage, and we have a lot of people working hard to get us back up and running,” Ridley said. “We don’t really know exactly what that’s going to mean, but I can tell you … if it’s humanly possible, we will be back in business sooner rather than later.”