The Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) has issued its response to those demanding that they pull their Tour Championship from Georgia due to the state’s recently passed voter reform bill.
And their response is, they aren’t going anywhere.
In their statement, the PGA emphasized its commitment to the local businesses and charities that will benefit from the Tour Championship being played in Atlanta.
“The Tour Championship’s commitment to East Lake has helped our partners transform distressed neighborhoods into healthy and thriving ones, which is a key to ending the cycle of intergenerational poverty,” the statement read. “The charitable and economic benefits that have led to these substantial changes would not continue if we simply walked away from those in need.”
However, the PGA stressed that their decision not to move the event should not be construed as “indifference to the current conversation around voting rights.”
“The PGA Tour fully supports efforts to protect the right of all Americans to vote and to eliminate any barriers that may prevent citizens’ voices from being heard and counted,” the statement read. “It is the foundation of our great country and a critical national priority to listen to the concerns about voter suppression — especially from communities of color that have been marginalized in the past — and work together to make voting easier for all citizens.”
As ESPN reports:
The Masters Tournament, which begins this week at Augusta National Golf Club, is expected to address the matter Wednesday when chairman Fred Ridley holds his annual pretournament news conference.
The PGA Tour’s season-ending FedEx Cup playoff event, the Tour Championship, is played annually at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. The PGA of America runs the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, scheduled for June at Atlanta Athletic Club.
The PGA of America released a statement stressing their respect for voter rights on Saturday:
The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship is a partnership between three organizations committed to diversity, equity and inclusion: PGA of America, LPGA and KPMG. Like many entities, we are monitoring developments related to the new state legislation on voting access. We believe elections should be accessible, fair and secure, and support broad voter participation.
The PGA’s decision to stay in the Peach State stands in stark contrast to Major League Baseball, who, on Friday, decided to remove their 2021 All-Star Game from Atlanta.
MLB has not yet said where the 2021 ASG will be played.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/breitbart/~3/hp5vuv5Ao10/