After two commercial free years spawned by controversy over Augusta National’s male only membership policy, three marketers have decided to sponsor this year’s event renewing a campaign by National Council of Women’s Organizations’ Martha Burke centering on the club’s apparent sex discrimination. “I’m shocked that any responsible company would want to be identified with the blatant sex discrimination practiced by Augusta National,” Burk said. “Perhaps these companies think the controversy has gone away. It has not. It will not.”
The three sponsors wading into the muck are ExxonMobil, SBC and IBM.
