PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — Tee times in Saturday's third round of the British Open will be brought forward in an effort to reduce the potential for disruption while an annual loyalist parade takes place the same day in Portrush.
Some 77 bands, and an estimated 2,000 people from the Portrush Sons of Ulster organization, are expected to march through the town in Northern Ireland that is hosting golf's oldest major championship.
The parade is scheduled to start at 8.30 p.m. local time — around the same time that thousands of spectators might be leaving the property at Royal Portrush following the third round of the Open Championship.
Amid the potential for logistical issues, the R&A, which organizes the British Open, is adjusting its schedule for Saturday.
“We’ve worked really collaboratively with the organizers and across multiple agency groups to ensure primarily that both events can run as seamlessly as possible,” R&A chief executive Mark Darbon said Wednesday.
“We’re making a slight tweak to tee times to try and finish — it’s not dramatic. It’ll be 15 minutes or so earlier.”
More than 275,000 spectators are expected to attend the Open across this week.
The Belfast Telegraph reported last week the Portrush Sons of Ulster group was offered 20,000 pounds ($27,000) by the R&A to postpone the parade, and that the offer was rejected.
When that was put to Darbon, he said the R&A was making contributions to support “the seamless operation of both events.”
“We try and be good citizens in the communities in which we operate when we come to town,” he said.
Darbon said he had no extra security concerns around Saturday evening, adding the safety of spectators was “always a prime consideration.”
Price hikes
It's a big week for Portrush and its local businesses — and it appears some have been attempting to take full advantage.
The prices of meals at some of the town's popular restaurants shot up, leading to criticism and complaints from visitors, The Guardian newspaper reported. According to the paper, the price of a burger at Ramore Wine Bar rose from 7.95 pounds ($10.65) to 17.95 pounds ($24).
The Ramore Restaurant Group, which owns that bar and others including the well-known Harbour Bar, attributed the price hikes to extra staff being needed for a busy Open week, but said menus have been “revised and adjusted” in the wake of the complaints.
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Steve Douglas, The Associated Press
