GOLF: Tiger Woods predicts Augusta National Golf Club will have its first woman member before he defends his Masters title next April, saying, "It's the right thing to do."

Woods was speaking to reporters at East Lake Golf Club yesterday, the site of the season-ending US PGA Tour Championship, which begins today with the 30 top-ranked tour players on hand.

Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson sparked a controversy in July when he issued a harsh rejection of demands by women's groups to have a female member at the all-male club, its famed Amen Corner remaining an Amen-only Corner.

When women's groups threatened to pressure advertisers on the Masters telecast, Johnson dropped television sponsors for next year's event.

The women began to pressurise telecaster CBS and this week turned their attention to the PGA Tour, saying officials should not sanction the event and hold it to the same race and sex membership standards as a normal PGA event.

Asked to look ahead to potential protests and embarrassment for golf next April at Augusta, Woods made a bold prediction.

"I'm sure Hootie will probably have a female member by then," Woods said. "It's the right thing to do.

"He would have done it anyway over time. He might be forced to have to do it, which is a shame because it's not how you want to do things. I'm sure he would've done it the right way but now it's not going to be a good situation."