Annika Sorenstam

The once unlikely prospect of Tiger Woods striding down the 18th fairway battling with Michelle Wie for the ultimate prize in golf, a game long associated with male domination, took a step towards reality on Wednesday.

The men-only tradition that has existed since The Open was first played 145 years ago is to be challenged by the Royal and Ancient, golf?s ruling body.

Allowing the leading women such as Wie, the 15-year-old American sensation, and Annika Sorenstam, the world?s best female golfer, to enter the tournament is to be considered by the R&A?s championship committee.

The thought of women driving from the same tees as Woods, Ernie Els and Colin Montgomerie ? and even beating them ? is likely to cause much gin-spluttering among the blazer-clad clubhouse brigade.

The prospect of women on Britain?s finest courses for the world?s most prestigious tournament was raised on Wednesday by Peter Dawson, the secretary of the R & A.

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is a private club that has never had any female members. The Open rules state that the R & A only accepts applications from ?any male professional golfer or a male amateur golfer?.

Mr Dawson said: ?That wording was put in place at a time when it was thought that women would never want to enter. If it is offensive to people then we will take it out. The R & A is not in the business of keeping women out of The Open.

The policy change was welcomed by organisations representing women golfers. Signs that the R&A is keen to shed its image as a stronghold of male supremacy were detected last year when women were allowed on to the R & A branch which oversees the committees in charge of rules, equipment and amateur status.

As female professionals are not listed alongside men in the world rankings they would not be eligible for automatic qualification for The Open on that basis. To play alongside the men, women golfers would have to succeed in the highly competitive qualifying tournaments.

Another avenue could be via a wild card invitation to play in a male professional event that counts towards Open qualification.

?The wording isn?t serving any purpose. I would support taking it out,? Mr Dawson said. ?Not that I want to see The Open as a dual-sex event, because golf at the elite level is not being played like that.?

One R & A member and office bearer said: ?I think we would be quite relaxed about this, because they would have to qualify and that is quite anachievement. If you qualify you deserve to play.

The change will not be made before the championship returns to the home of golf, the St Andrews? Old Course, this year but is likely to be in place for next year at the Royal Liverpool, Hoylake.