Muirfield Member Rips Rory McIlroy After the Golfer Speaks Out Against Exclusion of Women

Rory McIlroy came out against Muirfield Village Golf Club and the Honourable Company‘s decision not to allow women members last week. Muirfield needed a two-thirds majority vote and received only 64% of that number. The decision resulted in the R&A removing the course from Open Championship rotation.

McIlroy said of the decision:

"“I think for golf’s image, as we are trying to break out of this stuffy, old image. We are trying to become more with the times and trying to do things to make golf faster, make golf cooler, make more people included. It’s not right to host the world’s biggest tournament at a place that does not allow women to be members. Hopefully Muirfield can see some sense and we can get it back on The Open rota.”"

Even though a large portion of the members voted to move forward out of the stone age and allow women to join, that response didn’t sit well with a few of Muirfield’s stooges like 81-year-old former Scotland rugby player, John Douglas. Douglas ripped McIlroy, in an interview with The Scotsman, for his comments and compared Muirfield’s complete exclusion of women to Augusta National currently only having two women as members.

"“It is ridiculous,” Douglas said. “You have Augusta with two women members and how can people like Rory McIlroy challenge us yet he goes and plays there. Is he telling everyone he is happy with two women being admitted there after all these years and it is now a mixed club … come on. These players are two-faced. Who are they kidding? It is a total farce.”"

No Mr. Douglas, what’s ridiculous is deciding, even though an overwhelming number of current members disagree with the stance, to not even give women the opportunity to join.

While Douglas may be somewhat right with his comparison to Augusta, at least the club opened their eyes in 2012 and has allowed women to join. Sure there are currently only three, not two, female members, IBM CEO Virginia (Ginni) Rometty, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and financier Darla Moore, but in order to join Augusta National in the first place you have to be invited. Also, there are currently around only 300 members of the club and there is a waiting list of around 300 people as well, but at least the opportunity is there.

In comparison, the Honourable Company has 750 members, which doesn’t seem quite as exclusive as Augusta’s 300. Augusta doesn’t need a high number of members to make the course one of the best in the world; the Masters generates enough money on its own in order for that to happen.

Again, at least the opportunity is there. No one is expecting the doors to open to everyone to join, but not allowing a female to even be considered for membership is just ludicrous.