SPEAK OUT: Augusta National Admits First Women Members

A glass ceiling has been broken in the sports world, and there will be implications beyond sports for sure.

Augusta National Golf Club, home of the historic Masters golf tournament, has admitted its first two women members, according to ESPN.com and other media reports.

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Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. secretary of state, and South Carolina financier Darla Moore have accepted the invitations.

"This is a joyous occasion," Augusta National chairman Billy Payne said Monday.

 The controversy over the 80-year-old club's male-only member police intensified in 2002 when Martha Burk of the National Council of Women's Organizations urged the club to include women among its members.

"These accomplished women share our passion for the game of golf and both are well known and respected by our membership," Payne said in a statement. "It will be a proud moment when we present Condoleezza and Darla their green jackets when the club opens this fall."

Augusta National, which opened in December 1932, did not have a black member until 1990. The club is believed to have about 300 members.