ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — Just because the home of the Masters has female members, the Royal & Ancient has no plans to pressure the all-male clubs in the British Open rotation to follow suit.
The British Open is being played this summer at Muirfield, which has an all-male membership. Royal Troon and St. Andrews also have no female members.
R&A chief executive Peter Dawson said Tuesday he would not “bully” those clubs into changing their membership as long as they follow the equality laws of the United Kingdom. He says Muirfield allows women access to the club as guests, and it hosted a Curtis Cup for female amateurs.
The Open returns to Muirfield for the 16th time. It last was played on the links east of Edinburgh in 2002.
