Muirfield Golf Club in Scotland has forfeited its right to hold the host the Open Championship after a third its membership rejected the idea of women being allowed to join the club.
The 125-year old club, which has hosted the Open 16 times, most recently in 2013, has been taken off the list of venues currently on the Open rota after 36% of its membership voted to continue its ban on women joining the club in a postal ballot – with the vote to change the club’s constitution to allow women members falling just 3% short of the number required.
Martin Slumbers, the chief executive of the Royal and Ancient, which organises the Open, said that the championship would not be held at a venue that did not admit female members. In a statement, Slumbers said: “The R&A has considered today’s decision with respect to the Open championship. 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
“Given the schedule for staging the Open, it would be some years before Muirfield would have been considered to host the championship again. If the policy at the club should change we would reconsider Muirfield as a venue for the Open in future.”
Announcing the results on the steps of the clubhouse, the Muirfield captain, Henry Fairweather, emphasised that the policy complied ‘fully with equality legislation’, and insisted that women remained welcome as guests.
Revealing the depth of hostility felt by some Muirfield traditionalists towards the admission of women, it emerged that a group of about 30 members had written anonymously to fellow golfers before a ballot, urging them to reject the change. The letter argued that ‘a traditional resistance to change is one of the foundations of our unique position in golf and our reputation’, and stated that “’he introduction of lady members is bound to create difficulties’, suggesting that women’s presence would ‘endanger foursomes and speedy play’.
It went on: “Our special nature – ‘a gentleman’s club where golf is played’ – is quite unique with its fraternity built inter alia on foursomes play with a round taking only the same time as lunch, and leaving enough time for a further round after lunch, even in mid-winter.”
Scotland’s three female party leaders have repeatedly challenged the men-only policy and suggested they would be unlikely to attend any tournament held there. The television presenter Clare Balding revealed that she had refused to host coverage of the championship when it was last held at Muirfield because of the club’s stance.
Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first female first minister, described the vote as indefensible. Responding to the news on Twitter, she said: “Scotland has women leaders in every walk of life. It is 2016. This is simply indefensible.”
David Cameron backed the decision to bar Muirfield from hosting the Open. A Downing Street spokesman said: “His general rule is that sports clubs should be open to both sexes and that it is outdated not to do that, particularly if you think you are up to hosting a major championship.”
Royal Troon, which will host this year’s Open in July, is the only other male-only Scottish club on the tournament’s rota, and it is undertaking a review of its own membership policy. Royal Troon shares its facilities with Troon Ladies, and will host the Open jointly with the women’s club..