Former British Women’s Open champion Catriona Matthew has said she would be ‘honoured’ to be the first female member at Muirfield if the club that owns the famous links reverses its controversial recent decision to continue to remain single sex.

The East Lothian native, who is one of the early starters as this year’s British Women’s Open gets underway at Woburn, was fiercely critical after the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers balloted members in a bid to overturn their sexist policy and failed to persuade sufficient of them to vote the right way to get the two thirds majority required.

However on the day the R&A, the sport’s governing body announced that its planned merger with the Ladies’ Golf Union (LGU) has moved close to completion with the signing of a heads of agreement, Scotland’s best ever women’s golfer who has daughters of her own aged nine and seven and admitted to being ‘ashamed’ of such attitudes persisting in the area she comes from, expressed the hope that the club’s decision to hold another ballot would bring about a change of policy.

“Hopefully (it will change). They just lost out very narrowly,” she said.

“I don’t know if they realised the full impact of what the ‘no’ decision would have meant to the local area. Maybe some of them didn’t realise they would lose the Open if they said no.”

Recently appointed vice captain for Europe's Solheim Cup team she reiterated her view that the R&A had made the right decision in immediately stating that Muirfield would not host the Open while it continues to be owned by a single sex club.

“If they’re hosting an event like the Open it has to be equal,” she said.

“If they didn’t want the Open that’s fine, they can do what they want really, but when they’re hosting a worldwide event like that they can’t have inequality I don’t think."

If it does open its doors to women Matthew would be an obvious choice to be the first female member and she made it clear that there would be no reciprocal prejudice on her part.

“I’d be quite honoured,” she said.

“I’ve only maybe played it two or three times, but it’s a great golf course.”

Matthew did admit to being more of a traditionalist when it comes to the LGU’s decision to host the British Women’s Open on an inland course.

“It’s a nice course and the facilities here re great, but I think it’s a shame when it’s not on a links course,” said the 46-year-old who won the event at Royal Lytham in 2009.