Fans will be allowed at Augusta National for the 85th Masters in April, chairman Fred Ridley announced in a press release on Tuesday, but numbers will be limited, provided it is deemed safe to welcome patrons on property.
That means that the euphoric winners of the 2020 Masters tickets lottery who were unable to attend the patron-less November edition may still be out of luck this year.
According to the press release, Augusta National is currently communicating with all ticket holders and will issue refunds to patrons who are not selected to attend.
“Following the successful conduct of the Masters Tournament last November with only essential personnel, we are confident in our ability to responsibly invite a limited number of patrons to Augusta National in April,” Ridley said in the press release. “As with the November Masters, we will implement practices and policies that will protect the health and safety of everyone in attendance. Nothing is, or will be, more important than the well-being of all involved.”
The good news for lottery winners who aren’t selected for this Masters? It sounds like they’ll be given priority next year.
“While we are disappointed that we will be unable to accommodate a full complement of patrons this year, we will continue our efforts to ensure that all who purchased tickets from Augusta National will have access in 2022,” Ridley said in the press release. “Provided conditions improve.”
Ridley also noted that the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals will also continue as scheduled in April, and both of these competitions will host a small number of spectators.
The 2021 Masters is scheduled to be played April 5-11.
