‘Big-time’ Muirfield shakes off men-only past with hosting of Women’s Open

There was a time in the not-so distant past when the notion of a women’s major championship at Muirfield would have caused cardiac arrest among the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. It took until 2017, and only at the second time of asking, for Muirfield to decide that admitting female members was appropriate. The R&A had removed Muirfield from its pool of Open venues due to the male-only stance.

The Open has not returned to East Lothian but the Women’s Open takes centre stage at Muirfield this week. The R&A presides over this major, which has been elevated to the point where $7.3m (£6m) will be distributed on Sunday. The bigger picture relates to the landmark staging of such a significant women’s competition at a course once infamous for its gender policy.

Martin Slumbers, the R&A’s chief executive, replied with “absolutely not” when asked whether this event had to be held at Muirfield before a men’s Open to make a broader point. “They are two very independent decisions,” Slumbers said. “The R&A had no responsibility to this championship until 2016, and, in fact, we only got full control of it two years ago.

“We thought: How do we present it in a way that we think is world class and then move it in a way that the rest of the world thinks it’s world class, including the talent who are playing? Big-time sport needs big-time crowds. But big-time sport also needs big-time venues. We were absolutely focused on how do we get the best venues that we can get that mean the most to golf and stage the championship there.

“When you look at the history of our game over here, there is no more important golf course other than perhaps the Old Course in St Andrews if you want to achieve that purpose. I think you only have to walk