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The Northern Irishman, speaking a day after Muirfield voted
to admit women members, remained critical of the years women
were denied membership and did not sound like he would be
changing his opinion anytime soon.
"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, 27, said as he prepared for Thursday's
opening round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando.
Muirfield had a male-only membership policy since the Honourable
Company of Edinburgh Golfers, which controls the course, was
founded in 1744. Women are allowed to play there, but an initial
ballot to allow women members failed in May last year when only
64 percent voted in favor.
But centuries of discrimination ended when the necessary
two-thirds majority had been reached, with 80.2 percent of
members voting in favor of change on Tuesday.
The R&A, the body that organizes The Open, then declared
Muirfield back on its list of eligible courses, having said last
year it would not stage the tournament at a venue that did not
admit female members.
"I still think that it got to the stage, this stage, is
horrendous," said McIlroy, a four-times major winner who won the
2014 British Open at Royal Liverpool.
"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."
Muirfield has hosted the Open 16 times, most recently in 2013
when it was won by American Phil Mickelson.
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Frank Pingue)
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