Augusta National chairman has heart surgery

AUGUSTA - Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson had heart surgery Friday and is expected to make a complete recovery. <br> <br> Club spokesman Glenn Greenspan says the surgery, which had been scheduled in advance, involved a coronary artery bypass, aortic aneurism repair and aortic valve replacement. <br> <br> Greenspan says Johnson is fine and resting comfortably. <br> <br> The 71-year-old Johnson, who has been in charge of the Masters since becoming club chairman in 1998, is at the center of a public dispute over its all-male membership. <br> <br> The National Council of Women&#39;s Organization sent a letter in June urging Augusta National to have a female member. Johnson replied in a scathing three-page statement that the 69-year-old club would not be ``bullied&#39;&#39; into that decision. <br> <br> Last month, he dropped the Masters&#39; three television sponsors for the 2003 tournament, creating the only commercial-free sports event in the United States. <br> <br> Johnson also caused a stir by overseeing a massive redesign of Augusta National for this year&#39;s Masters, and by changing the tournament qualifications to eliminate past champions after they turn 65.

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