US President Barack Obama believes Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters, should admit women.

US President Barack Obama believes Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters, should admit women, his spokesman said on Thursday as the world's top players teed off for their opening round.

"His personal opinion is that women should be admitted," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said, though added it was up to the prestigious club to make decisions on its all male members policy.

Carney said that Obama, an avid golfer who has two young daughters, personally told him of his opinion.

The White House weighed into the controversy a day before hosting a major conference on women and the economy and as polls show Obama is outpacing his likely Republican election foe Mitt Romney among female voters.

Augusta National chairman Billy Payne repeatedly dismissed questions about the club's membership policy at his annual Masters news conference on Wednesday.

"All issues of membership are now and have been historically subject to the private deliberations of the members," Payne said, repeating the statement in the same fashion several times when repeatedly pressed on the matter.

The issue first came to a head in 2003 when Martha Burk, a leader in the National Council of Women's Organizations, conducted a rally across the street from Augusta National, where the first black member was inducted in 1990.

Now the focus is upon IBM chief executive officer Virginia Rometty possibly becoming the club's first woman member. Rometty became IBM's first woman CEO on January 1 and her four predecessors were all given Augusta National membership.

IBM is among the sponsors of the Masters and for nearly 30 years, IBM chief executives have been granted memberships, though not on any certain timetable. And as a private club, there is no legal obligation to have women as members.