British Open under fire for male-only policies

British Open officials understand some people are upset that the site of this year’s tournament -- Muirfield -- is a men’s-only club.

But they aren’t ready to do anything about it quite yet.

“When things are a bit quieter, after the championship, I’m quite sure we’ll be taking a look at everything to see what kind of sense we can make of it for the future,” said Peter Dawson, chief executive of the Royal & Ancient, golf’s governing body in much of the world.

Three of the nine courses used for the Open -- including Royal Troon in Scotland and Royal St. George’s in England -- allow women to play as guests but do not accept them as members. Speaking to reporters at a news conference on Wednesday, Dawson bristled at the suggestion that excluding women was like excluding minorities.

“Oh, goodness me,” he said. “I think that’s a ridiculous question, if I may say so. There’s a massive difference between racial discrimination, anti-Semitism, where sectors of society are downtrodden and treated very, very badly, indeed. And to compare that with a men’s golf club, I think, is frankly absurd. There’s no comparison whatsoever.”

Golf is no stranger to this issue. Augusta National, the site of the Masters each spring, only recently invited women to join. Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond said he would not attend the British Open in protest of Muirfield’s policy.

“We do, I assure you, understand that this is divisive,” Dawson said. “It’s a subject that we’re finding increasingly difficult, to be honest.”

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