What are the suggested changes?
The most significant change - and it really is significant - is the decision to remove the "male only" clause from the Open entry form from 2006. This year's forms are already printed, but from next year any woman will be eligible to have a go at entering the Open Championship. This is a green light for women to join the long and difficult process of qualification, which includes pre-qualifying and then two rounds of final qualifying.

Who is behind the change?
So far, the decision to remove the clause is only on the word of Peter Dawson, the chief executive of the R&A, golf's governing body. He is the most powerful individual in the European game, but his decision will have to be approved by the Open Championship committee. It would be astonishing, however, if they do not vote in favour.

What has brought about the change?
It is the result of general sociological changes, rather than one specific event. It is hardly startling news. The United States Golf Association (USGA), the American equivalent of the R&A, removed their clause before last year's US Open. Organisers of the US Masters at Augusta have also said that they would be happy to have a woman play in the tournament if she qualified. Gender issues and golf have been in the news for a few years. Last week the Ladies Golf Union (LGU) announced that they had adopted a new gender policy that will allow transsexual women to play in their tournaments.

What will it mean for the Open, in practical terms?
If a woman golfer attempts to qualify, it will mean a lot more publicity for the Open, especially when the qualifying process begins, a month or so before the Championship. It is highly unlikely that a woman golfer would manage to qualify, though, and so by the first Thursday of the tournament it will probably have been forgotten.

What is the likelihood of a woman being able to qualify?
It is not very likely at all. The standard required to book a place at the Open Championship is exceptionally high and the qualification process is extremely difficult. There are several tournaments in the golfing calendar (the Western Open, the US Amateur championship, for example) that offer a place in the Open as part of the winner's package and, theoretically, a woman could win one of these and so qualify. But that is highly improbable as well.

Are there any precedents?
Several top women golfers have already played in men's tournaments, but none have fared particularly well. Michelle Wie, the 15-year-old American, missed the cut by one stroke in a men's tournament last year, and Annika Sorenstam, who started the modern trend of women entering men's competitions, missed the cut by four strokes when she appeared on the men's tour in 2003. Laura Davies, Britain's best female golfer, placed 154th out of 155 when she played in a men's tournament. Se Ri Pak, of South Korea, once finished tenth in a men's tournament in her home country.

Will there ever be a dual-sex Open?
No, I think it's highly unlikely. Both sexes have their own equivalent tournaments already and have separate governing bodies. There is no real reason why the two should come together.

Will other gender-based restrictions in golf, such as men-only clubhouses, now be removed?
Gender-based restrictions are gradually being removed and every new wave of publicity weakens the remaining rules. Many of the Open venues, such as St Andrews, Royal St George's and Muirfield, have men-only clubhouses but this will change eventually. Royal Liverpool, where the Open will be held in 2006 (the first year a woman theoretically could compete) also currently only allows men into the clubhouse. But it is like grains of sand passing through an hour-glass. It's a slow process but eventually they will all be gone, which can only be a good thing.