Golf chief: Open tee times unlikely to change if England reach World Cup final
The chief executive of the Royal & Ancient says they will review their position after England's semi-final against Argentina before deciding whether to bring forward tee times for Sunday's final round of The Open at Royal Birkdale.
The chief executive of the Royal & Ancient says they are unlikely to bring tee times forward if England reach the final of the World Cup because they believe there will be enough time to complete the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale and avoid a clash.
The Three Lions' semi-final against Argentina kicks off in Atlanta tonight, with the winner facing Spain in Sunday's final at 20:00 BST.
It was reported earlier in the week that tournament organisers of golf's oldest major were mulling the idea of bringing tee times forward.
But Mark Darbon told reporters in his annual news conference on Wednesday that even if the tournament heads to a three-hole aggregate play-off there will be enough time.
Darbon, who said the winning putt is expected to drop at around 18:40 BST, added that the governing body will review their position after the semi-final though.
"I'm an England football fan, so it would be a great problem to have," Darbon said.
"But I guess also, because I'm an England football fan, we should also wait to see how the semi-final goes before we get too far ahead.
"Of course in the background, we've been doing a lot of thinking about this.
"Our final putt is currently scheduled for around 6:40 on Sunday.
"We think that, even if we go to a three-hole playoff, we've got time to complete the championship.
"So at this stage, no plans to alter anything, but we'll maintain that under review and finalise our position after the semi-final."
There are several English golfers in the 156-man field at this week's Open.
Those in the morning wave on Thursday have spoken of their dilemma over whether to stay up and watch Thomas Tuchel's side face Argentina.
England's Matthew Baldwin, a member of Royal Birkdale, is out earliest as he is hitting the opening tee shot at 06:35 BST.
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Andy Sullivan, Matthew Jordan, Joe Dean, Matthew Southgate, Jordan Smith and Dan Bradbury are also out relatively early.
Justin Rose will begin his quest for a first Claret Jug at 09:36.
"I was hoping for a later tee time," Rose told reporters on Tuesday.
"I'd take a win on penalties if it happened, but we're looking for a short, sharp match and a reasonable bedtime.
"I'm going to watch it with an eye on what's important for me and not get too high and low and keep my own emotions in check. We've got big things as well to do this week.
"It's a match where if you think that you're not going to watch it, you're probably kidding yourself."
Matthew Fitzpatrick pleaded with the R&A to hand the English golfers late/early tee times.
Ben Smith joined the GolfMagic team in September 2021, initially as a content executive.
These days, he assumes the position of content manager.
