Augusta National Golf Club, the host venue for the Masters Tournament every year, has donated $2 million to local Georgia organizations working to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
The club is currently closed, and the 2020 Masters, which was set to be held this week, was canceled along with virtually every other college or professional sporting event in the country.
“It is our hope these gifts will help address the many challenges brought about by the coronavirus throughout the city of Augusta and the greater region,” Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley said in a press release. “We believe Augusta National has an important responsibility to support and protect the community who has so generously and consistently supported us for many years.”
Half of the money will go to Augusta University in an effort to aid more coronavirus testing, with the other half going to a local emergency fund that seeks to “support relief efforts for the most vulnerable populations affected by the coronavirus pandemic in the community,” the club said.
State health department officials say more than 3,000 people in Georgia have contracted the virus and that 100 have died as of Tuesday.
