Muirfield stripped of right to host the Open after voting against allowing female members
Muirfield has lost the right to host the Open Championship after members voted against allowing women golfers to join the club.
The East Lothian links has hosted the Open 16 times since 1892, most recently in 2013, but will now be removed from the tournament roster after members failed to reach a two-thirds majority vote to allow women.
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club (R&A), which organises the Open, said: "Going forward we will not stage The Open at a venue that does not admit women as members."
R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers added: "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."
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Royal Troon, which hosts this year's Open, is the only other tournament host not to admit women although it is currently consulting members on whether to change policy.
It was revealed earlier this week that a group of 30 male Muirfield members had written a letter to others encouraging them to vote in favour of remaining men-only.
“Change must come slowly and for choice should be evolutionary. A traditional resistance to change is one of the foundations of our unique position in golf and our reputation," it read.
“Regardless of the conventions when they first join they are likely over time to question our foursomes play, our match system, the uncompromising challenge our fine links present, our lunch arrangements,” the letter continued.
“It will take a very special lady golfer to be able to do all the things that are expected of them in the template which is suggested and the ladies’ membership as a whole may not meet this standard.”