Billy Payne, who oversaw multi-million-dollar purchases of land to enhance hospitality, instituted several grow-the-game initiatives and saw Augusta National admit its first women members, retired Wednesday as chairman of the club and the Masters Tournament.
Payne, 69, who took on the role in 2006 and presided over 11 Masters Tournaments, will be replaced by Fred Ridley, a former United States Golf Association president who won the 1975 U.S. Amateur.
An Augusta National member since 1997, Payne was instrumental in bringing the Olympic Games to Atlanta in 1996 and served as head of the Atlanta Olympic Committee.
As Augusta's chairman, Payne welcomed Condoleeza Rice and Darla Moore as the club's first female members in 2012, followed by Virginia Rometty in 2014 -- after the club had been under pressure for more than a decade to do so.