Coronavirus: Augusta National donates $2m to aid local area’s battle against pandemic

The Masters, scheduled to begin in April, has already been postponed

Augusta National Golf Club said on Monday it is donating $2 million to assist the Augusta area in the fight against the coronavirus that has already forced it to postpone the Masters tournament it typically hosts every April.

The club, the only permanent home for one of golf’s four majors, said $1 million would go to Augusta University to help expand coronavirus testing, while another $1 million would go to the Central Savannah River Area’s recently-launched COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.

“It is our hope these gifts will help address the many challenges brought about by the coronavirus throughout the city of Augusta and the greater region,” Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said in a new release.

“We believe Augusta National has an important responsibility to support and protect the community who has so generously and consistently supported us for many years.”

Augusta National was scheduled to host the world’s best golfers in the year’s first major from April 9-2 but earlier this month postponed the event until “some later date” because of concerns about the coronavirus.

Reuters