TV star claims he’s banned for life from Masters after on-air comment | Golf | Sport
Former ESPN presenter Kenny Mayne has claimed he was banned from returning to Augusta National following an on-air quip about the Masters venue. Mayne worked at ESPN for 27 years until leaving in 2021, covering numerous sports throughout his tenure.
While he appeared on the broadcaster’s coverage of The Players and the US Open, Augusta National made it clear that the 66-year-old wasn’t allowed to attend the Masters after ridiculing the exclusive club during a broadcast. Mayne joked about Augusta National’s then-policy of admitting only male members. This policy remained until 2012, when former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice became one of the first women invited to join. Augusta National has since become more inclusive, establishing the Augusta National Women’s Amateur tournament. However, at that time, the club’s exclusion of women was a contentious issue and Mayne chose to poke fun at the male-only rule.
“I’m banned for life from Augusta, I think,” Mayne told God Bless Football. “I used to cover golf, I used to do the TPC Sawgrass, and I did the US Open every year for, I don’t know, seven or eight years. It was me, [Scott] Van Pelt, Andy North, the whole gang.
“At TPC one year, I just made some smarta** comment about, ‘We’ll see you at the Masters, where we bring four saucy ladies out to play!’ Or, you know, just something stupid, right?
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“But mentioning that I’m bringing women to play golf. And [Augusta National] called into the ESPN truck, like we’re still on the air, and the people in Augusta are literally, they somehow have the inside number to the truck. And they were like, ‘He is not coming!’ So I was never invited to go by my lords.”
Augusta National and the committee that oversees the venue are notorious for taking a firm stance against remarks or conduct they consider inappropriate. The club is also meticulous about media coverage during the Masters, with broadcast teams instructed to employ specific terminology. Most notably, commentators are required to refer to attendees as “patrons” rather than “fans.”
Three-time Masters winner Gary Player recently expressed frustration that he cannot play an unrestricted round with his grandsons at Augusta. Unlike fellow legends Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, Player hasn’t been awarded full club membership, and his family’s actions haven’t aided his case.
The nine-time major winner’s son, Wayne, was handed a lifetime exclusion following a promotional incident in 2021. Wayne was serving as his father’s caddie during the honorary starters ceremony, which that year honoured Lee Elder, who made history as the first black man to compete in the Masters.
Wayne positioned himself behind Elder and the honorary starters, clutching a box of golf balls that he was promoting. The club was incensed by his behaviour, and he was promptly notified that he had been banned for life.
