Royal Troon golf club to vote on admitting female members

Updated

Members of Open Championship venue Royal Troon will vote on admitting women to the club today.

Royal Troon is the only remaining host club to maintain a male-only membership policy after golf governing body The R&A removed Muirfield from the rota when its members voted against accepting female members.

A review of membership policy was announced by Troon in January 2015 and was initially not due to be resolved until later this year.

However, the South Ayrshire club has brought forward its vote to before this year's Open, taking place between July 14 and 17.

A special general meeting will take place at 7.30pm before the result of the vote is announced.

Members are expected to vote in favour of admitting women after a consultation found support among three-quarters of those who participated in the club's survey.

Club captain Martin Cheyne said last month: ''I am pleased that a large majority of members who responded to our survey agree and support opening the club to women.

''Looking ahead to the Open Championship, we want Scotland to be proud of Royal Troon Golf Club and the Ladies' Golf Club, Troon, as we jointly host this most prestigious competition in front of a worldwide audience.

''That is why we are moving quickly to a special general meeting and to have these matters resolved as swiftly as possible following our consultation."

Royal St George's in Kent voted last year to admit women members and prior to that The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews also opted to end its 260-year-old male-only membership policy in September 2014.

Troon has previously considered itself a special case as it shares facilities with the Ladies Golf Club, Troon.

Muirfield, meanwhile, plans to hold another vote on female membership just weeks after members rejected the proposal.

The decision taken in May was greeted with anger in and out of the game and the course was stripped of the right to host the Open.

The East Lothian club held a ballot at the end of a two-year consultation on membership but failed to get the two-thirds majority of its 648 eligible voters required to change policy.

The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, which runs Muirfield, said it is now seeking a fresh ballot.

Approving female members will begin ''restoring the reputation of the club'', captain Henry Fairweather believes.

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