Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson thought the commercial-free broadcast of the Masters in the United States turned out so well that he plans to do it again.

　　Johnson, who dropped his television sponsors last year to keep them out of the controversy over the club's all-male membership, said on Tuesday the 2004 Masters again would have no sponsors or commercial interruptions.

　　"There were many aspects of last year's broadcast that were favorable," Johnson said in a statement. "The response from our TV viewers about the ability to watch strictly golf was very positive."

　　Final-round coverage on CBS Sports - 4 1/2 hours without commercials - attracted 34.5 million viewers, the third-highest for Sunday at the Masters. Mike Weir became the first Canadian to win a major, defeating Len Mattiace in a sudden-death playoff.

　　The Masters drew even more attention this year because of the club's all-male membership. Martha Burk, head of the National Council of Women's Organization, led a campaign to demand the club invite a female member.

　　Johnson responded with a terse, three-page statement in which he said Augusta National would invite a woman on its own timetable, "and not at the point of a bayonet."

　　Johnson then dropped the Masters' three television sponsors - Coca-Cola, Citigroup and IBM - to shield them from controversy.

　　Burk could not be reached for comment. A message on her cell phone said she was on vacation. The club lost an undisclosed amount of money because there was no advertising revenue. It was believed Augusta National also helped CBS Sports pay for the production costs.

　　Johnson said during the Masters there was a "good chance" of TV sponsors returning. Asked how long the tournament could go without sponsors, he said, "Indefinitely."