Rory McIlroy Wants Muirfield to "see some sense" and Allow Women to Become Members

Muirfield lost their Open Championship hosting privileges on Thursday after the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers announced they didn’t receive enough votes that would allow women to become members. The decision drew criticism from many former Open champions and big names in the sport, and now Rory McIlroy has weighed in. McIlroy, currently ranked third in the world, won the Open Championship in 2014 at Royal Liverpool.

Via Golfweek:

"“It’s not right to host the biggest golf tournament at a club where women are not allowed,” said McIlroy, the 2014 British Open winner. “Hopefully, Muirfield will see some sense and we can get it back on the rota.”"

One would think in this day and age, while most courses and Tour pros are trying to help grow the game of golf, that allowing women to become paying members would help, but the stooges at the Honourable Company apparently don’t fall into this line of thinking and still believe that their ridiculous tradition is worth upholding. Thankfully, the R&A reacted swiftly by pulling the course from Open Championship rotation. Will this help? Who knows, but Paul Lawrie, the winner of the 1999 Open Championship held at Carnoustie also agreed with the decision.

"“In this day and age I just can’t understand why any golf clubs don’t allow female members,” Lawrie said. “How can you not let ladies be a member of a golf club? It just doesn’t make any sense. Imagine not being able to take your wife into the golf club? It’s just not right.”"

It’s good to see more big names in the sport come forward and condemn this practice. There’s absolutely no point in excluding women from the game of golf. It’s dumb thinking like this that makes golfers and country clubs look bad.

You can read the Honourable Company’s response here.