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US Masters

Obama and Romney agree... Augusta should open membership doors to women

“It is obviously up to the club to decide, but his personal opinion is that women should be admitted to the club.”

BARACK OBAMA AND Mitt Romney agree on something…

Wait, what? No? Everyone’s still here? The world isn’t ending? Oh, good. But it still gets pretty political.

Both Obama and Romney entered the debate yesterday over the membership of women at Augusta National Golf Club, where The Masters golf tournament is currently taking place.

Obama press secretary Jay Carney said during Thursday’s White House press briefing that Obama thinks women should be admitted to the private, all-male club.

“The President’s answer to this question is yes,” Carney said. “He believes — his personal opinion is that women should be admitted.” When asked further about the president’s views, Carney said, “It is obviously up to the club to decide, but his personal opinion is that women should be admitted to the club.”

Meanwhile, after an event in Pennsylvania, Romney…um…echoed the president’s statements.

“Well of course,” Romney said, according to NBC. “I’m not a member of Augusta. I don’t know if I would qualify — my golf game is not that good — but certainly if I were a member and if I could run Augusta which isn’t likely to happen but of course I’d have women in Augusta. Sure.”

The growing debate comes at a time when the club’s membership status has been thrust into the national spotlight again. See, IBM’s CEO traditionally earns membership to Augusta because of the company’s status as a sponsor of the tournament. The catch: This year, IBM has its first-ever female CEO, Virginia Rometty.

Augusta has avoided making comment on the issue, keeping in line with the policy that they don’t discuss membership status.

But this likely became political because both sides are looking to score with women voters in November’s election. Democrats have attempted to paint Republicans as waging a “war on women” with issues of contraception and invasive ultrasounds making their way into the national debate. Meanwhile, new polls show Obama holding astounding 30-point leads among women under 50.

Read more at Business Insider

Check out all TheScore’s US Masters coverage here>

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