May 20 (Reuters) - World number three Rory McIlroy believes Muirfield's decision not to admit women members has tarnished golf's image and backs the move to drop the course from the list of venues for Britain's Open championship.
Muirfield, close to Edinburgh, has retained a male-only membership policy since it was founded in 1744 and a vote to admit women members fell short of the required two-thirds majority on Thursday.
"The damage to golf's image is more important than us losing an Open course. We have such a strong ladies tour. We have the Olympics coming up, which is all about including everyone," McIlroy, 27, told British media.