CATRIONA SAYS R AND A SHOULD LEAD BY EXAMPLE IN ADMITTING WOMEN MEMBERS

FROM THE HERALD NEWSPAPER
By NICK RODGER

Catriona Matthew, the former Women's British Open champion and Scotland's highest-ranked golfer in the world, last night expressed her belief that the Royal and Ancient should "lead by example" and open its doors to women members.

While the 43-year-old was quick to point out that the issue doesn't "keep me awake at night", the North Berwick stalwart still harbours strong opinions on a matter that is back in the public eye with the all-male R and A's Open Championship heading to men-only Muirfield this July. 
The whole affair has come under increased scrutiny in the wake of events across the Atlantic last summer when Augusta National, that long-standing bastion of male dominance, handed membership to Condoleezza Rice, the former US Secretary of State, and Darla Moore, a powerful global financier.

That decision heightened the calls on the R and A to do likewise, while the game's governing body outside of the US and Mexico came under renewed criticism from some quarters for taking the Open to men-only clubs such as Muirfield, Royal Troon and Royal St George's.
Peter Dawson, the chief executive of the R and A, recently admitted that "the temperature is changing" among the members of the St Andrews-based organisation regarding women membership but insisted that the notion of all-male clubs being taken off the Open rota for adopting a perfectly legal stance would simply not happen.
Matthew, though, would like to see the R and A lead from the front: "I'd say, inevitably, it will change. You can't force these clubs to do it, they'll do it in their own time. But I think it would be a great move by the R and A to do it. 
"It's tough for them to tell Muirfield to do it when they don't have women members themselves. They should lead by example. It does seem crazy that they are kind of in charge of golf for, I don't know, 80% of the world and they don't have any lady members."
Following the announcement that Rice and Moore had been granted Augusta membership, many suggested it was an act of tokenism.
Matthew, the first Scot to win a women's major, added: "You have to start somewhere. You can't suddenly have 50% women members but what they did in Augusta was a start and hopefully we can go on from there.
"The R and A do so much for golf, they put a lot into women's golf, and it's a shame that fact can get lost at times. It [allowing female members] is not an issue that keeps me awake at night. I'm not a fanatic but, personally, I would like to see it happen."