American Patrick Cantlay gave his view on the new election laws, stating: "I do know that this tournament in particular does a ton for the community; so that's obvious and important for the folks around here."

Patrick Cantlay Weighs In On Georgia's New Sweeping Election Law

In the November 2020 US elections, Georgia was one of the major factors to President Biden's victory over Donald Trump.

However, last month Georgia Governor, Republican Brian Kemp, imposed voter identification requirements for absentee ballots. This would allow state officials control of local elections boards, limit the use of ballot drop boxes and make it a crime to give or offer voters food and drink as they wait in line to vote.

Last week the MLB (Major League Baseball) decided to move its All-Star Game out of Atlanta in protest of the state's new sweeping election laws, which they believe impose significant new obstacles to voting.

Following the announcement of the boycott, former US President Barack Obama congratulated the MLB "for taking a stand on behalf of voting rights for all citizens."

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The support was not well received by the Republican party, with a statement on late Friday calling for a boycott of baseball and all of the "woke companies that are interfering with Free and Fair Elections."

With the Masters being a huge part of Georgia, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is calling on the PGA Tour and Masters Tournament to pull the upcoming event from Augusta National Golf Club in reaction to the recent voting bill.

The NBJC is also urging professional golfers to boycott playing in Georgia until the bill is repealed.

With protests ongoing, some players have voiced their opinions on the matter. American Patrick Cantlay responded to questions on the change in laws in his press conference on Monday.

The 29-year-old said: "I don't know enough about the matter, but I do know that this tournament in particular does a ton for the community; so that's obvious and important for the folks around here.

"I know the tournament is big into doing great things for Augusta, and I think it's a net positive for sure that we're playing and the fact that they do so much for the surrounding area and for growing the game.

"I mean the Drive, Chip & Putt has been a massive success and, watching it yesterday, it's cool to see all of them come around and be able to experience the joy of this place."

Cantlay will be one of the favourites to win the Masters, with the American producing seven top-20 finishes in eight starts.

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