A rowdy Masters institution has come to an end.
The Hooters restaurant on Washington Road, just a short walk from the patron entrance to Augusta National Golf Club and at the epicenter of the Masters party each spring, has closed.
The Washington Road Hooters is one of a half-dozen of the company’s Georgia locations to close following a bankruptcy filling in March. The chain’s parent company filed for bankruptcy to address $376 million in debt and, according to a report from the Associated Press, 100 company-owned U.S. restaurants would be sold to a group of Hooters franchisees.
A pre-recorded voice message at the Washington Road restaurant said, “this location is permanently closed.”
The Washington Road Hooters has been a Masters staple for decades with patrons and celebrities turning the restaurant into a sprawling party during the year’s first major.
John Daly has used the Hooters parking lot as his tournament headquarters and merchandise center, selling branded memorabilia out of his RV during the Masters.
“I relate to the fans,” Daly told GolfChannel.com in 2016 from his RV in the Hooters parking lot. “You know I’ve made them happy and I’ve pissed them off a lot, but they’ve been good to me all over the world.”
