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People were baffled by the 123 who voted against female membership at Muirfield golf club

A previous vote had failed to overturn the rule.
A previous vote had failed to overturn the rule. A previous vote had failed to overturn the rule.

Muirfield golf club’s decision to admit female members was clearly the right one, but it hasn’t won everybody round.

The poll saw 498 members vote in favour of the measure, with 123 opposing it – that’s 80.2% to 19.8%.

The R&A had removed Muirfield from the list of potential venues at which the Open, one of golf’s four major events, could be held, after a club vote failed to admit female members last year. Unsurprisingly, as soon as the welcome result was announced, the R&A reversed its position.

It’s fair to say, however, that people were far from happy when it was revealed who had voted for what.

Previously, women had been allowed to use the clubhouse and course as visitors or guests.However, it was hard to escape the fact that it took being removed from the list of potential Open venues for change to occur, and even then, 123 men still voted no.

Some believed the vote put an end to the matter…

…while others looked at it from another angle.

Either way – at least the option is there now.