Woman Reporter Barred From Locker Room at Masters

A ban on female members at the Georgia golf club that hosted the Masters apparently extends to women reporters—which is teeing off journalists and sports fans. Tara Sullivan, a reporter for New Jersey's Bergen Record, was blocked from joining fellow writers in the locker room of the Augusta National Club for important interviews after the final round of the tournament yesterday. "Bad enough no women members at Augusta. But not allowing me to join writers in locker room interview is just wrong," tweeted Sullivan. A spokesman for the tony Georgia club, which has come under heavy fire for barring female members, has apologized to Sullivan, claiming it was a misunderstanding, reports AP.

"It should not have happened," said the spokesman, who stressed the club has an "equal access policy"—for reporters. Sullivan reported that a guard blocked her way, telling her no women were allowed, though other female reporters had earlier been granted access. The incident "touched a nerve," writes Sullivan. "Women journalists have every right to be allowed wherever their male colleagues go, a right determined by law." As for the players, see how they did at the Masters here. (More Tara Sullivan stories.)