Some Notes Ahead Of The 153rd Open

An early Saturday start to avoid a parade? Plus, latest field additions, press conference schedule, Spidercam gets bold 18th hole placement, NBC and Sky plans, and the latest forecast.

18th green at Royal Portrush with Spidercam towers (R&A)

Despite a concerted effort by the decrepit American Airlines to have me studying the charms of Terminal 3’s architecture, I’ll get my first look at Royal Portrush on a shorts-weather Sunday in Ulster.

Until then, here are some pre-tournament notes in advance of The 153rd Open ranging from good news on the train front if you’re coming later this week, some not so ideal tensions lingering around the same Saturday parade situation as in 2019, the latest additions to the field, a bold new use of a SkyCam, all of the extensive coverage times from NBC and Sky, and the up-to-date forecast where the Met Office has committed all the way out until Wednesday. The bravery!

A few headlines and reads of note:

• Progress has been made in talks to avoid rail travel disruption to Portrush. A planned industrial action on Friday, July 18th and Saturday the 19th would have shut down the rail network. But a BBC reports says Translink had reached an “agreement” with “some” of the workers.

• A three-decade-old drug charge is holding up Harris English’s caddie from receiving a UK visa. The US Ambassador Warren Stephens has intervened to help expedite the matter. This is also a handy reminder to apply for a UK Electronic Authorization if you’re planning a trip here.

• Ben Coley’s player guide for this year’s Open.

• The FT’s Jude Webber on The Open’s economic impact in Northern Ireland.

Prior preview coverage from The Quadrilateral:

• Course Preview presented by Holderness & Bourne

• The Internal Debate, Part 1, and Part 2.

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Saturday Times May Be Moved Up To Avoid Parade

The 148th Open at Royal Portrush

The Guardian’s Ewan Murray reported last week that The R&A is considering a plan to move up Saturday tee times “to minimise disruption from a planned loyalist parade in Portrush.”

With 60 bands and 2,000 participants—warning, they go all in on flutes—the Sons of Ulster are expected to begin their march through Portrush as spectators would be leaving following the conclusion of round three at 8 pm BST.

“We are working on plans to minimise disruption for our fans leaving the championship due to the event taking place in Portrush,” the R&A said in a statement to The Guardian.

A local council member says the group has been “very accommodating toward the R&A but cannot delay the annual parade due to an 11 pm curfew.

According to the Belfast Telegraph’s Liam Tunney and Adam McKendry, the R&A offered £20,000 to the Sons to postpone the event.

A similar situation last time never amounted to much other than the sound of drums and flutes while golf was wrapping up. But the R&A is expecting larger crowds this time and understandably wants to avoid issues.

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Six More Added To The Field

Sunday’s Genesis Scottish Open will deliver three more players into the Open field, but earlier in the week six players earned a place via the Official World Golf Ranking (as of week 27).

The players:

• Aldrich Potgieter (50)

• Nicolas Echavarria (51)

• Brian Campbell (55)

• Michael Kim (56)

• Bud Cauley (59)

• Davis Thompson (60)

The first two players on the reserve list for The Open are now:

1. Si Woo Kim (62)

2. Davis Riley (63)

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Press Conference Schedule

The latest schedule of preview press conferences for The 153rd Open, with the caveat that these are subject to change:

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Spidercam To Debut In Live Open Coverage

18th hole in 2019

“Spidercam” technology will be a part of world feed coverage for the first time. All viewers should see the four-point wire-cam system in action at The Open like never before. A camera will be suspended above the 18^th green and will provide aerial views billed as delivering unique angles “to bring to life the natural undulations of the hole and short shots around the green before the greatest walk in golf is captured as the Champion Golfer of the Year.”

Spidercam has been used widely in sports coverage, and American viewers better know it as SkyCam. But this is the first time the rig will be constructed to move over the action instead of running the length of an area (as happens at Augusta National’s 15th and 16th holes.)

The R&A and European Tour Productions are behind the effort and partner in producing the world feed for The Open.

The Open offers 48 hours of main coverage over the four rounds, making it the longest single feed in golf. The world feed coverage is used by Sky Sports in the UK and NBC in the United States. The R&A also announced the following coverage details:

• Four dedicated Featured Groups per day.

• A Par 3 channel for the 16^th hole, Calamity Corner.

• A behind-the-scenes “Live at the Range, in partnership with HSBC” airing during practice days and the first two rounds of the Championship. Coverage times: Monday the 14th to Wednesday the 16th: 9 am to 12 pm, and 2 pm to 6 pm BST.

• Thursday and Friday: 7:30 am to 11 am and 12:30 pm to 4 pm.

• R&A TV will also allow viewers to watch multiple streams simultaneously, including the Featured Groups and Par 3 channel. (Free registration required.)

• The Open Radio will offer more than 50 hours of live audio coverage worldwide and carried on SiriusXM in the U.S.

• A new website homepage for TheOpen.com provides “quicker and easier access to real-time updates throughout the Championship,” as well as a new weather integration offering the latest forecasts directly from Portrush.

• A Lock Screen leaderboard has been added to The Open’s smartphone app.

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