One of Scotland's most famous golf clubs and the site of Phil Mickelson's 2013 Open victory will admit its first women members next month, Muirfield announced.
Muirfield, home to The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, will have women members for the first time in its 275-year history when 12 are admitted next month as part of an extensive refurbishing of the club -- two years after voting to admit women.
The club had come under pressure to admit women members after the R&A took Muirfield off its rotation of courses to stage The Open following a club vote in 2016 which failed to reach a two-thirds majority for a rule change.
Being kept out of the Open rotation forced a second vote in 2017, when members of the club voted in favor of admitting women by more than 80%. The delay in inviting any women, the club said, was due to a long vetting process that typically takes at least six years but has been hastened in this instance.
"This marks a milestone in the Club's illustrious history, and we look forward to welcoming all of our new members to share in the great values and traditions of our club,'' said Alistair Campbell, captain of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, in a statement.
"This year marks the 275th anniversary of the club's first recorded golf competition. We are proud of our club's rich history but equally excited for its future and the part all of our new members will play in the club's cherished traditions.''
Muirfield, located in Gullane, Scotland, first staged the Open in 1892 and has done so 16 times, the third most behind any venue behind the Old Course at St. Andrews (29) and Prestwick Golf Club (24), which held the first Open in 1860 but is no longer in the rotation, last having it in 1925.
Muirfield has yet to be announced for any future Opens, which are set through the next four years, with Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland hosting this year for only the second time and first since 1951. The other venues awarded future Opens are Royal St. George's next year, The Old Course at St. Andrews in 2021 and Royal Liverpool in 2022.