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Muirfield Golf Club Keeps ‘No Women’ Rule, Dropped As British Open Host

By Andrew Galbreath
Published on: 08:15 PST, May 19, 2016

Muirfield, considered one of the world’s greatest golf courses and 16-time host of the Open Championship, announced on Thursday that it voted “no” on allowing women members. As a result, the British Open will no longer be staged at the prestigious club.

The Open Championship, often called the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world and golf’s first major. The Royal and Ancient, which organizes the Open, reacted to the vote by saying it would not stage the tournament at any club which does not accept female members, and that Muirfield had been taken off the list of potential hosts.

“Going forward we will not stage the Championship at a venue that does not admit women as members,” R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said in a statement, according to CBC Sports. “If the policy at the club should change, we would reconsider Muirfield as a venue for The Open in future.”

The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, which owns Muirfield, made the announcement following a ballot of 750 of its members, who voted on a proposal to open club membership to women for the first time. The proposal needed a two-thirds majority to pass, and the final vote came only to 66 percent in favor and 34 percent against. The Scottish club decided to retain its male-only membership policy, which stipulates that women can visit the club and play on its golf course only as visitors, and are barred from becoming full members.

“Scotland has women leaders in every walk of life,” Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s First Minister, said on Twitter. “It is 2016. This is simply indefensible.”

Sports Blog Nation noted that the decision came in the wake of a long and determined campaign by “traditionalists” of the club to keep the old policy intact, a campaign it called “rather disgusting.”

“The captain of the club announced the results on Thursday morning on the front steps of the course. ‘The Honourable Company is a members club, and, as such, the members decide the Rules of the Club, including its membership policy,’ said Henry Fairweather. ‘Women will continue to be welcome at Muirfield on the course and in the clubhouse as guests and visitors, as they have been for many years.'”

Muirfield is one of only 10 courses that are in the British Open’s rotation. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews, sometimes called the “spiritual home” of golf, opened up membership to women in 2014 for the first time in 260 years. Royal St. George’s also allowed female membership last year. Muirfield and Royal Troon are currently the only remaining hosts of the British Open which do not allow women. Royal Troon, however, is set to host this year’s Open from July 14-17. The R&A has not yet issued a similar statement removing Royal Troon from the list, though the club shares the same facilities with a separate Ladies Golf Club, and the two are said to be “jointly hosting” the 2016 British Open.

According to CBC, the Scottish newspaper The Scotsman reported on Wednesday that some of the traditionalists of Muirfield led a “no” campaign against allowing women, and canvassed other members of the club.

“It is accepted that we may have to change, but we should not do so now on the basis suggested,” read the letter quoted by CBC. “A traditional resistance to change is one of the foundations of our unique position in golf and our reputation.”

The R&A was heavily criticized in 2013 for allowing Muirfield to host the Open due to its policy against having female members. A two-year consultation with members resulted from the controversy. Troon is currently consulting members as to whether to alter their policy on having separate clubs for men and women.

[Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images]

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