William Porter Payne William Porter " Billy " Payne ( born October 13 , 1947 ) is the chairman of Augusta National Golf Club , having served in that position since 2006 and overseen the introduction of the first women to the club ' s membership rolls . He is also a managing director at Gleacher & Company , a New York based investment bank . Through the late 1980s and early 1990s he was a leading advocate for bringing the Olympic Games to Atlanta and , in 1996 , Payne was named president and chief executive officer of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games ( ACOG ) . Early life . Born in Athens , Georgia , Payne received his Bachelor of Arts ( A . B . ) with honors in political science in 1969 from the University of Georgia as well as his law degree ( J . D . ) from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1973 . While at the University , he was initiated into the Gridiron Secret Society and the Georgia Alpha Chapter of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity 1996 Olympics . Payne first had the idea of Atlanta hosting the Olympic Games in 1987 and began to bring others to support this vision . He first gained support of Atlanta leaders for this effort , including then - mayor Andrew Young , an ally who helped Payne convince International Olympic Committee members to award Atlanta the games . Payne ' s plan for the games depended heavily on private support , leading him to convince sponsors to back the games . In September 1990 , Atlanta was selected by the IOC to host the 1996 Games , surprising many . After winning the bid , Payne remained as the head of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games , serving as the chief administrator to organize the Olympics . He was the first person to lead the bid effort and then remain to lead the Games . Tenure as Augusta National chairman . On May 5 , 2006 , Billy Payne replaced Hootie Johnson as chairman of Augusta National Golf Club , home of the Masters Tournament . As chairman , Payne has already made some adjustments at the Masters , including a new television contract with ESPN that allowed for unprecedented coverage of the par - 3 tournament , beginning in 2008 . Also that same year , a junior - patrons program was instituted , which allows one Augusta National Golf Club - accredited patron the opportunity to personally bring one junior patron ( ages : 8 - 16 ) , free of charge , to each of the four competitive rounds of the Masters . The program is not available on practice round days , and is also unavailable to company patrons . On April 7 , 2010 , immediately before The Masters Tournament , Payne criticized Tiger Woods , stating that he failed as a role model . In 2011 , Payne and his fellow members at Augusta National continued further with diverting from the club ' s usually uncompromising , tradition - laden ways by establishing another contemporary modification to their featured golf tournament . They have now sanctioned a video game that features the Masters name , logo , and their fabled golf course . The video game is so technologically sophisticated that if rain - for example - should happen to be falling in Augusta , Ga . on the day an end - user powers up the game from anywhere around the world , rain will also be simulated on the end - user ' s video screen . Payne had said in a statement : “ ' Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 : The Masters ' will inspire the next generation of golfers . ” According to Payne ' s release , the proceeds from sales of the video game made by Augusta National will benefit a non - profit foundation that promotes youth golf . At the 2012 Masters Tournament , the public was reminded that some traditions at Augusta National Golf Club ( ANGC ) still hold true to form as Payne sideswiped reporters ' incessant questions about any prospect of allowing a female ( specifically IBM CEO Virginia Rometty ) to join ANGC . Payne explained the issue of who gets invited to join ANGC , which is notoriously known as having male - only members , is " subject to the private deliberations of the members . " Incidentally , ANGC has offered prior membership to the last four IBM CEOs as IBM is one of three major corporate sponsors of the Masters . However , on August 20 , 2012 , Payne announced that former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and business executive Darla Moore will be the first female members of the club after 75 years of all male membership . Payne also serves as Chairman of Centennial Holding Company , a Real Estate Investment concern in Atlanta , Georgia .