R&A chief confident The Open at Royal Portrush will be 'historic occasion'
Wednesday 27 February 2019 20:54, UK
Martin Slumbers remains adamant that the R&A will "deliver an outstanding Championship" after previously expressing his concerns over the impact of Brexit on the 148th Open.
The decision to take The Open back to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland for the first time in 68 years was taken eight months before the referendum which resulted in Britain's impending departure from the European Union.
But it proved a popular move as tickets for the four competition days sold out in record time, with around 190,000 fans expected to flock to the historic links where Max Faulkner etched his name on the Claret Jug for the only time in 1951.
With increasing uncertainty surrounding Brexit, including the prospective backstop to retain an open border on the island of Ireland, R&A chief executive Slumbers admitted on Tuesday that organising The Open in Northern Ireland this year was causing "significant concerns".
Slumbers also revealed he would be "quite pleased" when the final major of the year was over, and he added: "It doesn't threaten the staging, we will make it happen. It's just more complex than we anticipated. For the insiders it's a bit harder but for everyone outside it won't impact at all, they won't notice.
But Slumbers issued a further statement 24 hours later which focused entirely on the positive aspects of hosting The Open at Portrush in July.
"There is no doubt in my mind that it is going be a historic occasion," he said. "We are determined to deliver an outstanding Championship at Royal Portrush and stage the biggest ever sporting event ever to be held on the island of Ireland.
"It is a privilege to be bringing The Open back to Royal Portrush for the first time since 1951 and we are all looking forward to it very much.
"We are working with our partners and the local agencies in Northern Ireland to stage a fantastic Championship of which everyone will be proud."
