Well, it’s not so much that Augusta National has denied entrance to anyone, though I’m sure there’s been plenty of that. This time, they’ve denied rumors that a membership for former University of Florida and Washington Redskins football coach Steve Spurrier was any part of a deal to get Spurrier to coach the University of South Carolina Gamecocks.
Rumors have been flying around the Internet that since Hootie Johnson, Chairman at Augusta National, is a USC graduate and former football player there, that a possible membership would be part of a deal to lure Spurrier to Charleston. Johnson says otherwise.
“To state or imply that a membership at Augusta National Golf Club would be linked to any job or position is completely false,” Johnson said. “An invitation to become a member of Augusta National is very special and would never be tied to anything except personal relationships within this club.”
And now, just hours after that announcement by Hootie Johnson, it appears to be confirmed that Spurrier will be the next coach at USC, as Lou Holtz told his team before Thursday’s practice that he will be retiring at the end of this year. The Tennessean of Nashville reported Thursday that Spurrier had agreed to take over at South Carolina, if and when Holtz stepped down. An announcement regarding Spurrier, who won a national championship at Florida, is expected next week, the newspaper said, citing an anonymous source close to the situation.