Romney agrees with Obama, thinks Augusta golf club should admit women

GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney agreed with President Obama on Thursday, saying “of course” women should be allowed membership in the Georgia golf club currently hosting the PGA Masters golf tournament.

"Well, of course," Romney said, when asked about the topic in Pennsylvania, according to multiple sources on the campaign trail. "Of course I'd have women in Augusta. Sure."

Obama also thinks women should be allowed membership in Georgia’s Augusta National Golf Club, the White House press secretary said earlier in the day.

"His personal opinion is women should be admitted," Jay Carney said in a press briefing. "We've kind of passed the time that women should be excluded from anything.”

The Augusta National Golf Club, where the Masters golf tournament began Thursday morning, only accepts male members and is considered sacred ground in the world of professional golf. The men-only rule was tested this year when Master’s tournament sponsor IBM appointed a new, female CEO. Traditionally, the sponsors’ chief executives have been offered a membership at the club.

Romney’s response aligned him with the president on the subject, but unlike Obama, Romney does not regularly practice his golf game. And that was something he noted in his answer. 

"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,” Romney said, according to MSNBC.

Romney has often taken a swing at Obama’s golfing habit in the past, including a fundraising website, fortyfore.com. “‘Fore’ more years?” the website reads. “Donate $18 to send President Obama on a permanent vacation.”

According to the Romney campaign site, Obama has played 1,656 holes since 2009. Obama is an avid golfer and has played with Republican leaders including House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) in the past. He played his first round of 2012 on April 1.

"I just think it’s time to have a president whose idea of being 'hands on' doesn’t mean getting a better grip on the golf club," Romney said on the campaign trail in December, a line also used on the website.

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