Open Championship Final Round Timing Considered to Avoid World Cup Clash
Royal Birkdale will host The Open Championship for the 11th time, marking its return since 2017.
The final round of The Open Championship may be scheduled to start earlier this year in an effort to avoid coinciding with the World Cup final, which takes place on the same day this summer.
The Open, golf's oldest major, is set to conclude on Sunday, 19 July, at Royal Birkdale in Southport. This date coincides with the World Cup final, which will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, United States.
The World Cup final is scheduled to kick off at 20:00 BST, while The Open's final round traditionally concludes around 18:30 BST.
"We're conscious of other events happening on that date," said R&A chief executive Mark Darbon.
"Of course, some things are out of our control in terms of play-offs and the like, but we will attempt to avoid a clash.
"I think we're all looking forward to an England-Scotland final, so let's see how that plays out."
In the event that two or more players are tied for the lead after the four rounds, a three-hole play-off will determine the winner. If necessary, sudden death holes will follow.
Record Attendance and New Qualifying Event
Mark Darbon also announced that this year's Open is expected to attract a record crowd exceeding 300,000 spectators throughout the week. Practice days are scheduled from 12 to 15 July, with the first round commencing on Thursday, 16 July.
To extend the duration of the event week, the R&A has introduced a 'Last-Chance Qualifier' to be held on Monday, 13 July.
This qualifier will feature 12 players competing over 18 holes, with the winner earning the 156th and final spot in the Championship.
"We have had over one million applications the last few years for tickets, and we're absolutely at capacity on our championship days," said Darbon.
"Our attendance on the practice days is really strong, but we wanted to create additional things for them to see, and do that sensitively and in line with the context and nature of the rest of our championship.
"The Last-Chance Qualifier fits that ambition. We're looking forward to see how that goes this year, and we'll resolve and refine it into the future."
