Golf-Open venue Troon votes to accept women members

(makes clear Open is this month in first para) July 1 (Reuters) - Members of Scotland's Royal Troon golf club, the venue of this month's British Open, voted "overwhelmingly" on Friday to admit women, thereby protecting the course's place on the Open rota. In May, Muirfield voted to retain its ban on women members and was immediately removed from the Open rota by British golf's governing body The Royal & Ancient. "We welcome this decision by the membership at Royal Troon and recognise its significance for the club," an R&A spokesman said. "Our focus today is very much on The 145th Open in just under two weeks' time but we can now look forward to many more great Championships at Royal Troon in years to come." (Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Ken Ferris)