Augusta denies involvement in Spurrier, South Carolina job

Thursday, November 18th 2004, 7:25 pm

By: News On 6

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) _ Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson said Friday that Steve Spurrier is not guaranteed a membership at the home of the Masters if he becomes the head football coach at South Carolina.

Lou Holtz is resigning at the end of the season, presumably paving the way for Spurrier to replace him.

Holtz is a member at Augusta National, and Johnson played fullback for the Gamecocks in the early 1950s.

``To state or imply that a membership at Augusta National Golf Club would be linked to any job or position is completely false,'' Johnson said. ``An invitation to become a member of Augusta National is very special and would never be tied to anything except personal relationships within this club.''

Holtz formerly coached at Arkansas in the late 1970s, and he and former Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles have long been friends with former Augusta National chairman Jack Stephens.