Most of Muirfield’s members are just fine with opening their club’s doors to women, but it’s the so-called dinosaurs – not the majority – that rule the storied links of East Lothian.
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The letter, headlined “the risks”, was signed by 33 members and circulated to fellow golfers at the east Lothian club and claimed: “The introduction of lady members is bound to create difficulties”.
Said Bjorn: “The R&A has made the right decision”.
Four-time major victor Rory McIlroy said golf needed to boost its image against charges of sexism because “it’s 2016 and times move on”, adding: “We are trying to break out of this stuffy, old image”. “They lead golf on a world stage, and their brand is such a big brand that they have a responsibility to general society”. On an individual basis, if you want to be a smaller club and not deal with the outside world, that’s their business.
Gary Player, who won the British Open at Muirfield in 1959 for the first of his nine major titles, said the club’s decision was “simply unacceptable”. But I have to say, and I don’t write this lightly, that during more than 30 years covering this great game I’ve never been to a more unpleasant golf club, or one I couldn’t wait to leave.
Muirfield is one of 10 courses on the British Open rotation.
Royal Troon is the only remaining Open venue that retains a male-only membership and will host this year’s tournament in July.
A two-thirds majority of those who voted was required to change the club’s membership policy, but 64 per cent voted in favour and 36 per cent against.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon supported the R&A’s stance on Muirfield. The Open is one of the world’s great sporting events and going forward we will not stage the Championship at a venue that does not admit women as members. In the wake of the outrage the situation generated, the PGA Tour, PGA of America and USGA adopted policies that prohibited their tournaments being played at clubs that discriminate.
British sports minister David Evennett said the decision by Muirfield’s members was “extremely disappointing” and “sends out completely the wrong message”. “It is 2016. This is simply indefensible”, she said on Twitter. We had hoped that its lead would be followed by the other male-only clubs on the Open roster and, indeed, Royal St George’s has followed suit in the past year and now Troon will have its own vote.
Martin Slumbers, the chief executive of the Royal and Ancient, which organizes the British Open, responded to the vote in a statement saying that Muirfield would need to change its policy in order to be considered for the prestigious event in the future.
While the Honourable Company is wealthy enough to ride the loss of The Open, it is a severe blow to East Lothian, which will lose the £50 million windfall as the result of hosting the championship.
Politicians from all parties backed the call for the club – which is owned and run by The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers – to review the decision.
He said: ‘ “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”.
But if the no voters felt emboldened by their defiance of public opinion, it was swiftly disabused nearly immediately as the R&A called their bluff and struck Muirfield from The Open’s rota of host venues.
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Muirfield, which last hosted the prestigious competition in 2013, will now be removed from The Open rota but could be considered in future if it changes its policy on female membership.
