The Root, News Report, Posted: Aug 21, 2012

Condoleezza Rice doesn't mind being among the best in her field, and she hasn't been shy about being first, either, whether it was the first African-American woman to serve as national security adviser, secretary of state or Stanford University provost.

Now she can add another precedent to her list: the first African-American woman to become a member at the prestigious Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters.

"I have visited Augusta National on several occasions and look forward to playing golf, renewing friendships and forming new ones through this very special opportunity," Rice said Monday in a statement released by the club. She joins South Carolina financier Darla Moore as the revered club's first female members.

This is no small step for Augusta National, which opened in 1932 and seemingly has been stuck there ever since. The club didn't have a black member until 1990, but there's no shortage of back waiters, black bartenders and black caddies. It's among the nation's most exclusive organizations, believed to have about 300 members, all of them accomplished, connected and wealthy.

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