Augusta National assesses damage to course after ‘catastrophic and historic impact’ of Hurricane Helene

Augusta National is assessing the damage to the historic golf course that hosts the first major of the year, after Hurricane Helene swept through the region, killing at least 52 people in its path and leaving millions without power. 

Club chairman Fred Ridley released a statement but added that the club's focus is on the community that was left devastated by the hurricane. 

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"Our Augusta community has suffered catastrophic and historic impact from Hurricane Helene. We currently are assessing the effects at Augusta National Golf Club," the statement read.  

"In the meantime, our focus and efforts are foremost with our staff, neighbors and business owners in Augusta. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as well as everyone throughout Georgia and the Southeast who have been affected." 

Footage shared to social media showed trees down across the course, including along the iconic entrance, Magnolia Lane. 

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Helene made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane late Thursday with winds of 140 mph. It quickly moved through the southeast into Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee. 

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said that the eastern part of the state had been hit especially hard by the hurricane. 

"What it looks like from the air is it looks like a tornado went off, it looks like a bomb went off," Kemp told reporters in Valdosta. "And it’s not just here, it looks like this from here all the way to Augusta."

Officials say that at least 51 people across five states were killed as a result of the hurricane, FOX Weather reported. At least three million people across several states were left without power as of Saturday morning. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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