The prickly issue of whether women should be allowed to join the exclusive all-male Augusta National Golf Club refuses to go away.

On the eve of the Masters, chairman Billy Payne was again peppered with questions about whether the 80-year-old club would change its restrictive policy.

In keeping with the club's secretive traditions, he refused to provide a clear answer when asked repeatedly by the media, saying only that membership issues were not for public debate.