Major
The 149th edition of The Open is all set to tee-off from July 15-18 at Royal St. George’s Golf Club in England. The 2020 edition was cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic, and the R&A is not taking any chances this year, which has been made clear with its release of a five-page document for players, caddies, agents and coaches regarding health and safety protocols at the event.
Just last week, The Open released a statement saying it would permit 32,000 fans per day at Royal St. George’s. This recent development, first reported by The Telegraph, seems to be stricter and has pissed off some of the entrants this year.
Language in the update notes that players would be subject to withdrawal from the championship for various violations, including visiting another player in his accommodation for the week.
“The easing of COVID-19 restrictions in the United Kingdom has been delayed and as a result we have been required by the government to put strict health and safety measures in place,” the R&A update says.
The update comes in the wake of the Delta variant, which is according to Public Health England a cause of over 95% of all the COVID-19 cases in the U.K. The players are to be exempt from any quarantine requirements under the Elite Athlete Exemption, and they are needed to provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of their travel to the U.K. and another PCR test upon arrival to the Royal St. George’s.
If you compare these rules to the PGA Tour, there are no restrictions on where players can stay. But, for The Open, the players are required to stay in official hotel accommodation with a maximum of four persons per property. Again, there are no exceptions listed for the vaccinated players.
“No one outside the accommodation buddy group is permitted to visit others in self-catering/private accommodation. This would be seen as a breach of the COVID-19 protocols and could lead to withdrawal from the championship.”
At the venue, there is going to be an “inner bubble” system and “two-metre social distancing rules will apply for everyone within the inner bubble and masks must be worn in indoor facilities.” Whereas, on the PGA Tour, fully vaccinated players are not required to test to play an event, nor the social distancing and mask rules apply.
Initial reactions have been just plain frustration among a few players and caddies. One player under the condition of anonymity told Golfweek that he considered not attending the event owing to the restrictions.
“It’s aggravating that they deem the tournament safe enough for 32,000 fans a day to attend, but won’t let a player’s wife, children travel and watch the tournament, nor will they even let players visit a restaurant without threat of disqualification.”