Roundup: R&A Reacts Swiftly To Muirfield Vote, Vows No More Opens Until They Confront Their Issues With Women

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I know this is a serious matter for those seeking gender equity, but how can you not laugh at Muirfield's 33 holdouts? In 2016, voting to keep the club from acknowledging the existence of half the world's population?

Imagine what must have happened to these dinosaurs in boarding school or university to still be holding such resentment all these years later?

Imagine how utterly out of touch one must be to think that stopping a successful woman who loves the game from joining your club because you still think--and put in writing!--that women players are automatically slow by account of their gender.

Or dining in that strange ritual of dandruff coated jacket and grease-stained secret society tie for lunch (between rounds of golf).

Or keeping your course from hosting The Open in your lifetime, which, for most of these prehistoric types, isn't much longer.

All you can do is laugh at them, and be a little sad for East Lothian golf, which may not see The Open for a while.

Martin Dempster with all of the details on Muirfield not securing enough votes to retain 21st century status.

The R&A swiftly declared that Muirfield will not again be considered as a venue for The Open after members voted against allowing women to join the East Lothian club.

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A: “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.”

The club’s board had recommended that membership should be offered to women on the same terms as the men.

Of course, this will lead to some fun with Royal Troon this year, which does not admit women into its club. However, and it's a big however: there is a Ladies Golf Club of Royal Troon that has been in existence since 1882 and has a clubhouse overlooking both Troon courses.

Royal Troon, where The Open is being staged this year, is currently undergoing a similar membership review to the one carried out at Muirfield.

The social media reaction has ranged from mocking to praise for the R&A for a swift reaction.

The saddest part of losing Muirfield until the holdouts move on to the Big 18 In The Sky: no more Opens in Scotland's Golf Coast and the best golf region on the planet: East Lothian.

The rota is already well stocked and it certainly wouldn't be hurt by inserting a placeholder like Royal Cinque Ports just to reinforce the message. Architecturally, a case could be made that it's way more interesting than Muirfield, and as Karen Stupples can attest, they have accepted females for some time.