The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in Scotland, home of the rule-setting organization for the sport outside the U.S. and Mexico, will allow female golfers after a vote of its members.
Eighty-five percent of its members voted for letting women in, the club said in an emailed statement Thursday.
"This is a very important and positive day in the history of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club," club secretary Peter Dawson said. "The R&A has served the sport of golf well for 260 years and I am confident that the club will continue to do so in future with the support of all its members, both women and men."