Orlando, FL …
Rory McIlroy while pleased women will be allowed to become members has slammed the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (Muirfield) declaring it ‘obscene’ that still some 20% of the male members voted ‘No’.
As such, McIlroy indicated ahead of this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational he will not be sitting down to have a cup of tea with members at any future Open Championship staged on the course to the east of Edinburgh.
“Muirfield wouldn’t be one of my favourite Open rota courses, so no matter the decision yesterday, if it had been kept off The Open Championship rota, I wouldn’t have been that unhappy,” he said.
Rory McIlroy addressing the media ahead of the 2017 Arnold Palmer Invitaitonal
“But then I was outspoken about this before whenever the vote went the first time around. I mean, in this day and age, where you’ve got women that are like the leaders of certain industries and women that are heads of state and not to be able to join a golf course? I mean, it’s obscene.
“Like it’s ridiculous. So, they sort of saw sense. I still think that it got to the stage, this stage, is horrendous.
“And yeah, I mean, we’ll go back and we’ll play The Open Championship, because they will let women members in, but every time I go to Muirfield now I won’t have a great taste in my mouth.”
McIlroy was then asked, and shortly after competing in the traditional Pro-Am, whether he also thought it was obscene also that 123 members still voted ‘no’ to stop women becoming members.
“Yeah, I know, exactly. It’s horrendous. I mean, I just don’t, I don’t get it,” he said.
“So, anyway, look, we’ll go back there for The Open Championship at some point and I won’t be having many cups of tea with the members afterwards.”
McIlroy has competed once in his career at Muirfield and in the 2013 Open but missed the cut with scores of 79 and 75.
Also Muirfeild also remains the only occasion in seven Open Championships McIlroy has not played all four rounds since making his debut at the Silver Medal winner at the 2007 Open at Carnoustie.
He did not contest the 2008 Open while he was out injured in 2005 for the defence of his Open at St. Andrews.
