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R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers is expecting a reduced crowd at the 149th Open Championship at Royal St George’s in July, a gathering that probably will consist mostly of UK-based fans.
With the championship just more than seven weeks away, the R&A is in scramble mode, trying to prepare for a tournament with no idea of how many fans will be able to attend.
“The big uncertainty for us is clarity with respect to what the government and health authorities want with regard to social distancing,” Slumbers said. “Then there is the reality that international travel remains extremely difficult. The audience this year will be much more UK-based. Those things will determine what the atmosphere will be like at The Open.”
The R&A boss said there could be anywhere from 25 percent to 75 percent of the normal 40,000 daily figure, depending on what COVID-19 protocols are in place.
“I’m cautiously optimistic with regard to the crowd numbers,” Slumbers added. “But we have to be patient and let the government do what they have to do. We will have a clear indication by the middle of June and once we know that we will simply put on the best show we can. I’m keen to get as many spectators in as possible. I do think that is what creates the atmosphere and makes the players perform just a little bit better.”
Slumbers says he expects those who attend will be required to wear masks, with players and officials restricted to a strict tournament bubble.
There will be no repeat of the crowd invasion on the 72nd hole at the recent PGA Championship, when an enthusiastic crowd engulfed Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka.
“We absolutely will be keeping the spectators back behind the barriers in place,” Slumbers said. “We want the players to have the freedom to move and play the final hole unimpeded. We are conscious of the fact that there might be a play-off. So we need to keep that space safe and clear. The 18th fairway will be ‘clean’ come July.”
The European Tour has announced changes to the date and format for this week’s Porsche European Open at Green Eagle Golf Courses in Hamburg, Germany.
The event has been reduced from 72 holes to 54. It will start Saturday, two days later than scheduled, and will finish on Monday.
The changes were implemented following the German government’s decision to place the United Kingdom on its travel “red list.” That meant almost a third of the field – plus a significant number of caddies, tour staff members and European Tour Productions employees – would have been unable to enter Germany without observing a mandatory quarantine period if they had not been outside the UK for a minimum of 10 days.
Moving the start date back allowed the vast majority of the affected people to spend the requisite time outside the UK before crossing the border into Germany next Friday.
“The significant travel changes announced last week meant it was simply impossible for us to start the Porsche European Open as intended without unacceptably damaging the field and the integrity of the tournament,” explained European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley. “Over the past year we have had to react to numerous changes at short notice and our ability to do this has unquestionably been down to the flexibility of our players, caddies, staff, broadcast partners and sponsors.
“This is another wonderful example of everybody working together pragmatically to find a solution.”
The R&A says golf participation in the British Isles has increased by 2.3 million in the past year as a direct result of COVID-19.
The governing body, along with England Golf, Golf Ireland, Scottish Golf and Wales Golf, commissioned Sports Marketing Surveys to conduct two separate player participation reports which reveal significant increases in people playing on 18-hole courses and enjoying alternative forms of golf, including driving ranges, par-3 and pitch-and-putt layouts. There also was an increase in female golfers, while the average age of participants lowered.
The SMS report for Great Britain highlighted an increase of 2.1 million adult players on 18-hole courses up to 5.2 million in 2020, the highest figure this century; 36 percent of this number were returning golfers, with 16 percent taking up the game for the first time. The average age fell from 46 to 41; 25 percent of women golfers were new to the sport; driving range use grew by 2.3 million to 4.3 million; par-3 course use more than doubled, while play on pitch-and-putt courses tripled.
The separate Irish participation survey showed adult golfers playing on full length courses grew by 219,000 to 540,000. Of these golfers 18 percent returned to golf or started or tried for the first time because of the pandemic; and a third of adult newcomers were younger than 25.
“We have seen a real surge in the number of golfers in Great Britain and Ireland playing the sport and this is reflected by the high demand for tee times and clubs reporting a strong interest in membership last year,” said Phil Anderton, the R&A’s chief development officer. “Golf has shown that it can provide significant health benefits and this has been important for many golfers during these very challenging times. It is vital that golf seizes the opportunity to maintain this heightened interest by offering new and returning golfers compelling reasons to stay within the sport and enjoy it with friends and family.”
SMS’s Post-COVID Opportunity Research, coupled with findings from Bayfirth Research, found that 95 percent of those who tried golf last year intend to carry on playing.
Anderton said: “The mental and physical health benefits of golf have helped boost participation in 2020 and that is hugely encouraging given the sport offers a wonderful form of exercise out in the fresh air for all ages and abilities.
“With more female players also coming into the sport, it presents an opportunity for golf clubs to harness interest from this key demographic and to engage in our #FOREeveryone campaign.”
The European Tour has announced four new UK-based events for golfers with disabilities as part of the new 2021 European Disabled Golf Association European Tour.
In conjunction with the European Disabled Golf Association and as part of Golf For Good – the European Tour’s overarching Corporate Social Responsibility programme – 20 golfers taken from the World Rankings for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD) as of 16 May will have the opportunity to tackle the same course setup as European Tour professionals, with the new 36-hole tournaments in Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England.
Each player will be invited to participate in back-to-back tournaments – those 10 players with even-numbered rankings will tee it up at the EDGA Wales Open at the Celtic Manor Resort from 24-25 July and the ISPS Handa World Disability Invitational presented by Brendan Lawlor played from 31 July to 1 August at Massereene and Galgorm Castle.
The 10 players with an odd-numbered ranking will play the EDGA Hero Open at Fairmont St Andrews from 7-8 August and the EDGA English Open at London Golf Club from 14-15 August.
The top four players from each group qualify for the season-ending event held in conjunction with the European Tour's DP World Tour Championship in November.
“We are extremely proud to showcase the EDGA European Tour at five of our events in 2021 and we are delighted to once again provide golfers with disability the opportunity to play alongside our professionals during the UK Swing as well as at our final Rolex Series event of the year, the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai,” European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley said.
Sixteen Irish golfers are to benefit to the tune of €272,700 this year through the Team Ireland Golf Scheme. That’s a €51,700 increase on last year.
Irish golfers also will profit from 30 Challenge Tour starts.
Irish Minister of State for Sport, Jack Chambers TD, said: “I am really pleased that Sport Ireland can provide increased funding for the Team Ireland Golf Scheme this year.
“Ireland has a proud golfing tradition, which has been further enhanced with multiple major wins in recent years. I hope that this funding will assist our young up-and-coming players to advance their careers, and hopefully lead to further Irish golfing success in the future.”
Golf Ireland chief executive Mark Kennelly added: “Golf Ireland are extremely grateful to Sport Ireland for the 25 percent increase in funding for 2021. This funding has enabled Team Ireland Golf to continue to financially support our emerging professional players to enable them to get out and compete on tour after a challenging 2020.”
As GGP writer Brian Keogh notes, the following golfers will receive €17,500 this year: Cormac Sharvin, Stephanie Meadow, Leona Maguire, Robin Dawson, Gavin Moynihan, Jonathan Caldwell, David Carey, Ronan Mullarney, Paul McBride, John Ross Galbraith, Stuart Grehan, Conor Purcell, Conor O’Rourke, James Sugrue and Jonathan Yates. Olivia Mehaffey, who has just turned professional, will receive €10,200.
Mehaffey, 2019 Amateur Champion Sugrue and Yates are all new to the scheme.
Members at Portmarnock Golf Club have voted by a large majority to allow women to join the club.
The change to the club’s rules mean it will be able to host events like the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, the Walker Cup and perhaps even The Open Championship at some time in the future.
Announcing the change, the club said in a statement: “A vote by the members of Portmarnock Golf Club, that Rule 3 be amended through the removal of the words ‘who shall be Gentlemen’ has been passed. The result is 83.4 percent in favour and 16.6 percent against.”
New Zealand amateur Amelia Garvey has announced she has turned professional and will make her debut in this week's US Women's Open.
Originally, Garvey planned to hold off from turning pro until the LPGA Qualifying Series in August, but she changed her mind after winning a play-off at her US Women’s Open qualifier at Brentwood Country Club in Los Angeles. One of the players to lose out in that play-off was Dutch Solheim Cup star Anne van Dam, who had to make do with an alternate spot for the field at the Olympic Club.
“It doesn’t feel real to be honest,” said Garvey, who finished her college career at the University of Southern California at the recent NCAA Championship.
“To be able to call myself a professional is weird as it’s something I’ve been working towards for so long and now the day has finally come. I don’t think you could write the script any better.”
Former Ryder Cup player Lionel Platts has passed away at the age of 86.
The Englishman was one of the most accomplished players of his era, winning the 1961 PGA Assistants Championship, the ’62 Sunningdale Foursomes (in partnership with David Snell) and a seven-club tournament at Turnberry in ’64, before losing to Neil Coles in the final of the 1965 News of the World Match Play. Later that year he played for GB&I in the Ryder Cup at Royal Birkdale (where three months earlier he finished tied 12th in The Open). He went on to win the ’71 Portuguese Open and the ’72 Uniroyal tournament before becoming a regular competitor on the fledgling European Seniors Tour.
Platts was a member of the PGA for almost 70 years and served as the head professional at Three Rivers Golf and Country Club in Essex between 1975 and 1993. He was granted honorary PGA membership in 1994 and continued to play well into his 70s.
Colin Callander and Alistair Tait