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Belfast Telegraph
6 days ago
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
The Open: Organisers confirm tee times for Saturday's action will be ‘tweaked' due to loyalist band parade
More than 60 bands and 2,000 people are expected to march through the town as part of a Portrush Sons of Ulster parade on July 19, which would coincide with the day's golfing action coming to a close. Tens of thousands of fans coming out of the Dunluce Links and back to the Co Antrim seaside town could merge with large crowds gathered for the parade, posing logistical problems. Movement around the timings of the golf had previously been mooted by the Royal & Ancient (R&A), which organises the tournament. Speaking to the media this morning, R&A Chief Mark Darbon confirmed those behind the tournament were making changes to the tee times. "We realise we are a guest in the communities we visit and on many cases there are concurrent events around the action in the venue,' he said. "We've worked collaboratively with multiple agency groups to ensure both events can run as seamlessly as possible. We're making a slight tweak to Saturday tee times - nothing major, 15 minutes or so earlier - but the weather can play a big role so it's hard to be specific about finishing times. "We're contributing to costs to ensure the seamless running of both events." The Open: International visitors share views on Portrush Last week it was reported the band organising the parade was offered, and rejected, £20,000 to postpone its event. At the time PUP councillor Russell Watton said the situation should have been dealt with long ago, with the R&A's offer coming late in the day. 'They (the R&A) are only doing it because of the traffic problem. There are 64 bands booked to go to this parade,' he told this newspaper. 'They came in and did a presentation to the council six months ago, but they should have been at that long ago, not at the last minute. 'There are people there getting paid to run the thing. They knew the parade was always on that Saturday after the Twelfth. They knew it and everybody else knew it. 'About three or four weeks ago, they offered them about £20,000.'
Belfast Telegraph
09-07-2025
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Loyalist band snubs £20k offer to postpone parade that clashes with Open
More than 60 bands and 2,000 people are expected to march through the town as part of a Portrush Sons of Ulster parade on Saturday July 19, which would coincide with the day's golfing action coming to a close. Tens of thousands of fans coming out of the Dunluce Links and back to the Co Antrim seaside town could merge with large crowds gathered for the parade, posing logistical problems. The Royal & Ancient (R&A), which organises the tournament, is understood to be preparing to amend tee times to ease the congestion. It has now emerged that the band was offered in the region of £20,000 by organisers to postpone their parade — which they refused. PUP councillor Russell Watton said the situation should have been dealt with long ago, with the R&A's offer coming late in the day. 'They (the R&A) are only doing it because of the traffic problem. There are 64 bands booked to go to this parade,' he told this newspaper. 'They came in and did a presentation to the council six months ago, but they should have been at that long ago, not at the last minute. 'There are people there getting paid to run the thing. They knew the parade was always on that Saturday after the Twelfth. They knew it and everybody else knew it. 'About three or four weeks ago, they offered them about £20,000.' The R&A has been contacted for comment. Mr Watton said the weekend marked one of the most lucrative in the Portrush calendar, with bands coming from all over Northern Ireland to attend. 'This is booked solid, and they come from Markethill, Kilkeel, south Fermanagh and they stay for the weekend,' he said. 'They do their own Twelfth and then come down here. The caravan parks are jam-packed. It's almost the biggest economic weekend in Portrush. The Open will be dead and gone next year, it'll not be there after next weekend. 'It will go all right, though. The golf course is a good three quarters of a mile from the main street. 'The band has my full support; I'm just hoping it works out.' Behind the scenes at Royal Portrush: The changes to The Open course Just under 50,000 spectators are expected to flock to Royal Portrush for the sold-out Open tournament each day. The parade is scheduled to begin at 8.15pm, with the third round of The Open typically finishing at around 8pm. A significant number of fans are set to travel by public transport, which would require them to return to the centre of the town to catch either a bus or a train. In a statement to The Guardian, a spokesperson for the R&A said: 'We are working on plans to minimise disruption for our fans leaving the championship due to the event taking place in Portrush on the Saturday evening.' It is not believed that there is much wriggle room for the R&A as the tee times have to align with broadcast windows in the United States, meaning that while the start of the day's play could be moved forward, it will not be by a considerable amount. With 278,000 fans heading to Royal Portrush over the course of the week, the 153rd Open is set to be the biggest sporting event in Northern Irish history.
