Augusta, GA
Augusta’s Ridley supports efforts to reduce driving distance
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley said Wednesday that the club supports governing bodies’ efforts to reduce elite driving distance, which he says are needed to protect golf’s integrity.
“My feeling on this subject is [that] failure’s not an option,” Ridley said during a news conference ahead of this week’s Masters. “I think we need to continue to work together to come to some agreement. Tough issues like this require compromise, and I think there has been some compromise to date.”
The United States Golf Association announced in March that it might not implement a new Overall Distance Standard, which would reduce elite driving distances by 15 yards, until 2030. The USGA and R&A had previously stated the new testing rules would apply to elite players in 2028 before affecting all golfers in 2030.
“I want to reemphasize that support and affirm our position as the USGA and R&A represent their collective obligation as custodians of the game,” Ridley said. “I also want to be clear that our position is grounded on much more than protecting the Augusta National golf course. We will continue to make modifications as are necessary to react to driving distances that in some cases exceed 350 yards.”
Ridley noted that amateur Jackson Herrington, who qualified for his first Masters as the 2025 U.S. Amateur runner-up, told him that he drove balls over the fairway bunkers on Nos. 1 and 5 during practice rounds this week
“About a 325-yard carry, and one was into the wind,” Ridley said.
The Masters tees on the par-4, 445-yard opening hole were pushed back 20 to 25 yards in 2002 and additional 15 to 20 yards four years later.
The par-4 fifth hole was lengthened to 445 yards in 2003 and extended by another 40 yards in 2019.
“I’ve said that we can make changes, but there’s not much we can do to make [additional] changes-unless we tear down the Eisenhower Cabin, and we’re not going to do that,” Ridley said of the iconic cabin near the 10th tee, which was built by the club for U.S. President Dwight E. Eisenhower and his wife in 1953.
“We’ll make changes when we can, but I think it’s time to really address this issue. It’s been talked about for a long time. There’s certainly commercial interests that are at play here, and we all know what those are.”
The USGA and R&A announced in January that they were seeking additional input on whether it would be more efficient to implement the rollback for all golfers on a single date instead of a staggered start. The input period ends April 16.
“Unfortunately, many courses, including some iconic venues, do not have that option,” Ridley said, about making course changes to accommodate increased length. “Until recent years, golf has been a game of imagination, creativity, and variety. The game has become much more one-dimensional.
Ridley argued the proposed equipment changes would be “immaterial” to recreational golfers.
“Regulation of the golf ball is not an attempt to turn back time or stifle progress,” he said. “It is an effort to preserve the essence of what makes golf the great game that it is.”
Also, Ridley said Augusta National Golf Club supported five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods’ decision to step away from competitive golf and his administrative roles with the PGA Tour to seek treatment, following his DUI arrest in Florida on March 27.
Woods was involved in redesigning the existing course and a new nine-hole short course at The Patch, which will open to the public on April 15.
Later this year, Augusta National Golf Club will break ground on a new TGR Learning Lab, a STEM learning facility that Woods and his TGR Foundation created more than two decades ago.
“I would like to add that we fully support Tiger’s recent decision to focus on his health and well-being,” Ridley said. “Our commitment to the TGR Foundation and to Tiger personally has not wavered. We wish him the very best.”
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A man who was previously wanted for questioning in an Augusta deadly shooting has now been charged with murder in the case, according to authorities.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office says Kemfton Quewanaki Kenon, 27, was arrested on Friday in connection to the shooting death of Khyla Rodriguez, of Augusta.
Kenon is booked into the Charles B. Webster Detention Center and charged with murder and possession of a firearm during a crime, according to jail bookings.
Rodriguez, 25, was found dead after deputies received a call about a shooting on May 15 at 1:11 a.m. on Cameron Drive.
The Richmond County Coroner’s Office said Rodriguez was pronounced dead at 2:27 a.m.
Kenon was previously wanted for questioning in the case and was located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. He was interviewed and arrested on an unrelated warrant.
Deputies were also interviewed two other subjects in the case. They were not arrested in the case.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – People who live in South Augusta are raising concerns about the future of the Family Y on Tobacco Road.
Officials say the facility has been operating at a loss for years, and have had a low number of memberships. The location also has a new owner. The cost of the lease is too high and the facility is also in need of renovations, which are said to be costly.
“The reality is we couldn’t afford the current lease that we were in,” said Catie McCauley, president and CEO of Family Y of Greater Augusta. “Over the last 10 years we’ve been subsidizing this lot. So we got to look at a model that we can sustain for the next several generations not just the next couple years.”
The location is set to close in October, but officials say they are working with community members and contractors for a new building that they can move into and are committed to staying in South Augusta.
Photojournalist credit: Gary Hipps
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – SafeHomes Augusta is facing a funding shortfall after Georgia lawmakers vetoed millions in domestic violence funding.
The nonprofit is the only 24-hour domestic violence shelter in the area, serving 10 counties from Augusta to Burke County to Taliaferro.
It costs approximately $1 million to operate a 24-hour shelter that meets Georgia standards, but SafeHomes only receives $647,000 in funding.
Lawmakers vetoed $9.4 million in domestic violence funding and $3 million for sexual assault centers.
Executive Director Aimee Hall said staff is bracing for what comes next.
“I think we’ll still be able to provide services. It’s just going to be on a lower scale. And that’s my concern because there’s so many people who need our services. Last year we provided services to over 1,700 men, women, and children,” Hall said.
Hall said the concern is not just about budgets but about the people who depend on the shelter around the clock.
“We’re not a nonprofit that can close. Domestic violence don’t happen between 8:00 and 5:00,” she said.
Becky Halioua, a survivor who first made contact with SafeHomes in 2015, said the resource likely saved her life.
She said she has continued to share her story in hopes it can help others.
“Nobody starts a relationship saying, well, I can’t wait for this person to put their hands on me,” Halioua said. “Domestic violence really has no face. And I think it’s important for people to know that it affects everybody.”
She said the reality of leaving an abusive situation is something many people do not consider.
“Just imagine if you had to just uproot your entire life suddenly in, you know, maybe the middle of the night and leave with just the clothes on your back,” Halioua said.
Hall said the most important thing the community can do right now is show up. SafeHomes is actively seeking volunteers, and Hall said time is just as valuable as financial donations.
Anyone interested in volunteering or donating can contact SafeHomes Augusta directly at 706-736-2499.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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