THE Royal and Ancient Club today agreed in principle to allow women to enter the Open Championship - and it could even mean that 15-year-old Michelle Wie appears at St Andrews this July.

Although all the details of how female professional and amateur players would qualify in future years have yet to be announced, Wie comes into a special category because of her invitation to the John Deere Classic in Illinois on July 7-10.

The US Tour event carries with it an exemption into the Open for the leading non-exempt player.

Therefore, it would be possible for Wie, who next month makes her first attempt to qualify for the US Open, to miss the halfway cut and still claim an exempt spot.