Payne announced Wednesday that he is retiring after 11 years of change that made the Augusta National logo more powerful than ever.
He had never been to the Olympics when Payne, a little-known real estate lawyer, led a long-shot bid to bring the Summer Games to Atlanta in 1996.
Wanting to expand the reach of golf, he worked with the R&A to start the Asia-Pacific Amateur, awarding the winner a spot in the Masters with hopes it would create heroes in an emerging market.
Payne also brought in the USGA and PGA of America to start the Drive, Chip and Putt competition, which attracts children all over the country to compete in golf skills, with the finals held at Augusta National on the Sunday before the Masters.
Payne recalls that when he began his tenure as chairman, his predecessor told him the most important job he faced was finding his own successor.
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