The Open will be a football-free zone this weekend, with tournament chiefs opting against showing the World Cup on their big screens at Royal Birkdale.
It is understood the decision will stand irrespective of whether England beat Argentina on Wednesday to set up a showdown with Spain on Sunday.
There remains the risk of a scheduling clash between the Open’s final round in Southport and the 8pm kick-off (BST) in New York – a scenario that could see a minor adjustment to bring tee times forward.
While that measure is still under discussion with broadcasters, and relies on England progressing to the final, it is believed a call has been made to not show the football on the spectator screens dotted around the course.
The move echoes a similar decision made at Wimbledon this month.
Some clarity around the final-round tee times is expected on Wednesday morning, with R&A chief executive Mark Darbon due to speak to media on the eve of golf’s oldest major.
There will be no World Cup action shown at The Open – even if England reach Sunday’s final
England could reach the World Cup final if they beat Argentina in Wednesday’s semi-final
R&A sources are adamant any change to their start times at Birkdale would be minor, and certainly less than an hour, to cover the possibility that the tail-end of their biggest day overlaps with the football.
Typically, the leading group at golf’s oldest major tee off at around 2.30pm, which offers a comfortable margin, but a play-off could cause a scenario where some fans make a hasty departure from the Southport links before the Claret Jug is presented.
It is understood that Open bosses will consult their broadcasting partners, Sky Sports and NBC, to ascertain the feasibility of tweaking their schedule, but no verdict will be made until the outcome of England’s semi-final is known.
๐๐๐๐/๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
