Major change to The Open schedule announced with tee times moved due to event clash at Portrush

THE OPEN will start earlier on Saturday due to a clash with an event in Portrush.

The 153rd edition of the tournament is underway and will conclude on Sunday.

Tee times on Saturday have been brought forwardSportsfile

Play began at 6:35am for the opening round and tee times will be brought forward on Saturday.

That is because of a band parade that is scheduled to take place in Portrush.

It is expected 70 bands and 2,000 people will descend on the town in an event organised by Portrush Sons of Ulster.

It will take place in the evening, at which time the golf will be complete for the day.

That is because times will shift forward by around 15 minutes according to the chief executive of the Royal & Ancient (R&A), Mark Darbon.

Mr Darbon said, as organisers, they are “guests in the community” – albeit 275,000 in number.

He said at a press conference: “We recognise that when we bring The Open Championship to town, we are a guest in the community in which we operate.

“On many occasions, there are concurrent events that take place around the action that we are very focused on here, within the rules of the venue.

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“So, recognising the events that are taking place on Saturday, we have worked collaboratively with the organisers and across multi-agency groups to ensure, primarily, both events can run as seamlessly as possible.

“We are making a slight tweak to tee times to try and finish – it’s not dramatic, maybe 15 minutes or so earlier.

“At the same time, this is an outdoor sport; the weather can play a big role.

“It’s very difficult to be precise on finishing times, but we are looking at some marginal adjustments.”

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