Another vote "is being counted in Scotland this week," according to Tracy McVeigh of the London GUARDIAN. It may be totally overshadowed by the independence referendum, but the Royal & Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews "has been holding its autumn meeting on 18 September since 1783." Tradition "is tradition." Or "at least it was." On Thursday evening, about 300 of the total 2,400 membership of the club "will gather at the east of Scotland seaside course to be told the results of a ballot on whether to abandon the policy of having a men-only membership at this bastion of the game." Almost certainly, "it will be a yes to sexual equality." One senior figure at St. Andrews, who did not wish to be named, said, "We're pretty much expecting everyone to back the dropping of men-only. The chairman has asked very nicely and I can't see him being overruled." Sponsors "have become uneasy about the publicity men-only club policies attract." HSBC Global Head of Sponsorship & Events Giles Morgan said big tournaments would be "much more palatable" if sexual segregation were to be consigned to the past. An R&A spokesperson said that if the vote went the way the club's committee has recommended, there would be a fast-tracking of suitable candidates so that female members could be "mainstream" as quickly as possible. He said, "The club is balloting its members on a change to its membership rules that would enable it to welcome women members" (GUARDIAN, 9/13).
