Eighty years after it was founded, dozens of questions remain about the murky inner workings of the Augusta National Golf Club.

There are none about who calls the shots.

Chairman Billy Payne proved that again Wednesday, tackling a wide range of issues in his annual "State of the Masters" news conference. Since taking over from Hootie Johnson in 2006, Payne, the former Atlanta Olympic Committee CEO, has found himself facing such hot-button issues such as adding women to the Augusta's membership and Tiger Woods' suitability as a role model.

This time around, the mood was decidedly lighter. Yet judging by the frequent smiles and nods of assent from the dozen green jackets lining the back of the room, Payne's pronouncements on the less-weighty issues of his own golf handicap and whether to replace the famed Eisenhower Tree on the 17th fairway — lost after being damaged in an ice storm — aren't likely to face much headwind.

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