In the week prior to the 2012 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, concerns over whether Tiger Woods would finally notch his 18th major or not stormed through sports media.

Well, after finishing five over par, the clear answer is no.

But through all the questions following Woods like a personal rain cloud, this year’s Masters has been marred by a much larger and more worrisome issue: gender equality.

Augusta National has always been a traditional boys club. Just imagine if you will, a nicely painted “He-man Woman Haters” sign propped up outside its clubhouse.

It has faced criticism about their male-members only policy in the past, but this time around, those concerns have a legitimate and pressing context.

Here are the facts: IBM is a longtime corporate sponsor of the Masters. Every one of IBM’s last four CEOs have been invited to be members of the club, all of whom were men. But IBM recently hired a new CEO, Virginia Rometty, who just happens to be a woman.

So the outcry? Augusta has yet to extend an invitation to Rometty to join the highbrow, storied organization that it is.

The golf club has a tradition (surprise, surprise) of being slow on the uptake when it comes to diversifying its members. It wasn’t until 1990 that Augusta National finally admitted black members, and it even used to have a policy that all caddies had to be black before finally admitting them as members.

In 2012, only 22 years after finally diversifying its membership, Augusta National has yet to admit a woman, and as to why is completely baffling.

The club was founded as a men’s golf club in 1933. When it was established, it was certainly a different time. The Great Depression was still in full swing, World War II was lingering on the horizon unbeknownst to the entire world, and women were still homebodies that catered to their husbands and children. But that was 79 years ago.

Along with the civil rights movement in the 1960s, women fueled the feminist movement seeking a greater sense of equality with their male counterparts in society. While great strides have been made with more successful women in the work force, such as Rometty, and a greater percentage of women at universities and claiming higher-profile jobs, there still remains a base of inequality that cannot be ignored.

Augusta National, despite the exclusivity that exists with the sheer cost of its membership fees, is a prime example of this deep-rooted gender inequality that permeates all levels of society.

In 2002, the National Council of Women’s Organizations led a protest campaign that made some waves and a clear point to Augusta National’s leadership, but failed to create any sort of change.

Now, 10 years later, that very same leadership has been faced with the same questions, but has continued to remain silent.

“Their silence sent a message loud and clear: “We respect the boys at Augusta National Golf Club more than we respect our female CEO,”’ Martha Burk, former head of NCWO, wrote April 6 in an online column for WeNews.

Essentially what this issue comes down to lies in the fact that it is 2012. We live in a time where women are CEOs of major companies such as IBM and therefore should be given the same considerations as any other CEO that comes before them. It’s simply common sense.

How this issue will be resolved will only play out in due time. Either Augusta National will demount from its high horse and extend Rometty an invitation or it won’t and the issue will – most likely – sadly fade out of the public eye and become a non-issue.

But what can be taken away from this year’s Masters is simple: Gender inequality is extremely pervasive in American society, Tiger Woods’ club-kicking outburst only shows he’s not on top of his game yet and double eagles are the making for a true Sunday run.

Kelly is a junior majoring in journalism. Ever made a hole-in-one? Well, she has. Tell her your story on Twitter @kellymerickson or at [email protected].