Open Championship Tee Times Could Be Moved In Bid To Avoid Disruption Caused By Loyalist Parade

The R&A is reportedly considering bringing forward third-round tee times at The Open Championship in order to minimize disruption linked with a planned loyalist parade in the town of Portrush next weekend.

According to an application lodged with the Northern Ireland Parades Commission, more than 2,000 people and 60 bands are expected to begin a march through the streets of Portrush on Saturday, July 19 at 8:15pm - roughly the same time as Moving Day action would likely finish if Open tee times begin during their usual window.

The R&A has apparently been concerned over logistical challenges of operating in such a small coastal town for some time, with possible significant congestion for those leaving the golf course at the forefront of organizers' minds.

Per the Irish Independent, in a bid to avoid such issues, The Portrush Sons of Ulster band was offered "a substantial" financial incentive to postpone the parade. However, its members voted to reject the proposal.

Since then, The Guardian reported that The R&A has been seriously considering a plan to start the third round slightly earlier than usual - although, it is conscious of live American television coverage requirements and said alterations are likely to be subtle.

Addressing the Irish Independent, a spokes­person for The R&A said: “The return of The Open will be the biggest sport­ing event to be held in North­ern Ire­land. We recog­nise that we are guests in the towns and com­munit­ies that we visit and fully respect the cul­ture of our hosts.

“We also want to do all that we can to ensure that the fans enjoy an amaz­ing exper­i­ence of Portrush.

“We’re con­cerned about the poten­tial logist­ical impact of other events tak­ing place on the Sat­urday even­ing of the Cham­pi­on­ship and con­tinue to work with our pub­lic agency part­ners to explore poten­tial mit­ig­a­tions to ensure fans can get home smoothly fol­low­ing the end of play that day. We’ll con­tinue to plan as far as we can to min­im­ise any dis­rup­tion.”

Back in April, The R&A announced there would be a record attendance for an Open Championship outside of St Andrews, with 278,000 fans watching on throughout the week at Royal Portrush.

That number comfortably surpasses the 237,750 crowd in 2019 as more than a million people applied for tickets in the original ballot.

Mark Darbon, chief executive at The R&A, said: “The Open is one of the world’s great sporting events and we will do everything we can to make this year’s Championship at Royal Portrush an outstanding and memorable occasion for everyone involved, from fans to players and the millions watching on TV and digital platforms worldwide.

“The passion and enthusiasm for golf throughout the island of Ireland is world-renowned and is clearly reflected in the extraordinary demand among fans to be part of this historic occasion.

"We look forward to welcoming a record crowd to these spectacular links for a true celebration of golf and seeing who emerges from the 156-strong field to become Champion Golfer of the Year.”