Open organisers poised to move tee times amid concerns of loyalist parade disruption | The Open

The R & A plans a plan to start the third round early in the championship open this month, in order to minimize the disturbances of a loyalist parade scheduled in Portrush. More than 60 groups and 2,000 participants should start their walking in the streets of the city shortly after thousands of spectators leave the Royal Portrush on closed counters, if the organizers have held at typical TEE times.

R&A has been worried for some time for logistical challenges associated with simultaneous events on Saturday week. A significant congestion for people leaving the course, or thousands of people choosing to leave early to avoid this, were the highest in the thoughts of the major tournament organizers.

It was reported last month that the Portrush sons of Ulster, who organized the parade, voted against the rearrangement of their march despite a request for R&A. The third round of the open would generally end at 8 p.m. BST, the parade that starts at 8:15 p.m.

R&A would not specifically comment on its preparations. It is understood, however, that tee times will be adjusted. R&A said: “We are working on plans to minimize the disturbances for our fans leaving the championship due to the event that takes place in Portrush.”

The amount of room for maneuver of R&A remains to be seen due to the live requirements of the American television coverage. It is therefore unlikely that the time change is important, but any modification would be notable.

R&A officials had previously promised “exploring potential attenuations to ensure that fans can go smoothly after the end of the game”. Standard adult tickets for round three cost more than £ 120. The 153rd staging of the Open, which takes place from July 17 to 20, will be the largest sporting event that will take place in Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, before the Scottish Open this week, Xander Schauffele supported Keegan Bradley’s candidacy to be a game captain for the United States in the Ryder Cup in September.

Bradley’s recent victory in the traveler championship opened the concept of the double role. “He is playing the best golf course in his career,” said Schauffele. “We just want our best game of 12. He just flies in this ranking ranking. Would I be surprised if he entered the top six and was no longer a conversation? I do not think I would be very surprised and I do not think he would not be either.”