Michelle Wie, the American teenager whose precocious talent and appetite for competing against men have elevated her to the status of golfing revolutionary, will have the chance to dismantle another of the sport's ancient gender barriers after Royal and Ancient (R&A) officials said yesterday she would be able to participate in this year's British Open.

After twice playing alongside the best male golfers at PGA Tour events in the US, the 15-year-old will be eligible to compete at the Old Course, St Andrews, in July if she plays well enough at the John Deere Classic, a hitherto obscure PGA Tour event staged in Illinois in early July, which gives an automatic spot into the British Open for the leading "non-exempt" player.

In theory, Wie needs only to beat every other player at the Illinois event who has not qualified for St Andrews by other means, such as finishing in the top 50 of the world rankings prior to the British Open.

In reality, she will have to turn in the performance of her life.

Even then, her participation at St Andrews will require the R&A to put to one side its current stipulation that entry into the British Open is restricted to men only; that is an unprecedented step the organisation is prepared to take, according to Martin Kippax, head of the R&A's championship committee.

"The committee would look into this matter if the need arose, but in view of the fact that the qualification route offered by the John Deere Classic is an exempt category then I'm sure it would be agreed she could play," he said.

Peter Dawson, the R&A chief executive, added that there was a clause in the current entry form which allows the organisation to accept or refuse entry from anyone at its discretion, though that discretion had not been used in recent memory.

Though the R&A's volte-face may cause consternation among the game's dwindling band of traditionalists, it was the subject of celebration for at least one member of the golfing fraternity: Clair Peterson, tournament director of the John Deere Classic, who gave Wie the chance to compete in his event.

"This is fantastic news both for Michelle and for our tournament," he said. "She is a remarkable young woman and, if she earns the exemption on offer at the John Deere Classic, she has certainly earned the right to play at the Open.

"If a woman playing at St Andrews is fine by the R&A, then it ought to be fine for everyone else."

Peterson's offer of an invitation to Wie has been criticised by some US Tour players as a cheap publicity stunt.

There was further bad news for advocates of strict gender barriers in golf yesterday as Dawson - not a man known for cheap publicity stunts - confirmed that a new entry form, to be published in the autumn, will no longer include the stipulation that only men can enter the event.

"There is no resistance to women playing in the Open on principle. If there is any hesitancy, it is only because we are still working on the details of how it (the change) will operate," Dawson said, adding that the new form would be applicable for next year's British Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake.

"The only Olympic sport where the two sexes compete together is equestrianism and it is not surprising therefore it is taking a long time," Dawson said.

"We've not asked players their views. We are not in the habit of taking polls, but we keep our ears to the ground. There won't be a complete consensus on this. I've consulted with the tours on this matter and I can't say I have met any resistance to it."

Kippax added: "We are not resentful - there is no resistance to it here. It's novel, and something that is new needs to be considered.

"We are not dragging our feet in any way. We are giving it the consideration it deserves because there needs to be a level playing field. We are perfectly happy about it."

David Hill, the R&A director of championships, said that if Wie did qualify for St Andrews (or any future British Open) the spin-off effect could be the same as that witnessed after Tiger Woods burst on the professional scene.

"We would probably have higher attendances, with more under-16s and more ladies coming to watch and we would probably have to put up more grandstands," stated Hill.