2020 Open Championship

[Ye Olde Boomer]

As for rescheduling it later in the year, good luck with that one. American TV aren't going to be keen to pay a high price for the rights if it is to compete on their schedules with the NFL and baseball.

This a cogent point that requires consideration.
2020 baseball and NFL seasons in America are not a given at this point, however.

 

[JustOne]

IMO surely the quicker it's cancelled the better for all people involved.

 

[USER1999]

IMO surely the quicker it's cancelled the better for all people involved.

For sure, it gives me more time to get my game in shape and qualify.

 

[JustOne]

For sure, it gives me more time to get my game in shape and qualify.

Seriously, your game isn't in shape yet????????????????

 

[ger147]

That might be so in Cumbernauld but down here in deepest Kent the sun never goes down on us ??

Those were Kent sunrise/sunset times.

 

[chrisd]

Those were Kent sunrise/sunset times.

???

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Cancel it and be done. I don't see any way it can be done especially if the other majors go by the wayside too eventually

 

[Grant85]

I doubt that the R&A could afford to run the event funded only by sponsors and TV money.

The income from ticket sales, hospitality and tented village represents a massive proportion of the total each year.

The broadcasting rights do not generate the same sort of figures as the Premier League.

Plus, as an event, it would be as flat as a fart thereby devaluing it in the future.

As I said, my guess is it would still be commercially viable with broadcast and ad revenue but obviously the fans on the ground generate a lot of revenue (but also a lot of costs). If it meant a smaller prize fund, then again, that's potentially a compromise that is worth making.

And yes, it would be flat. But it would be a one off and it wouldn't devalue future events. People would accept that something was better than nothing.

 

[Sats]

I'm due to marshall the open, but I have been expecting a cancellation, I'm surprised by this decision.

 

[rudebhoy]

In normal circumstances on Day 1 and Day 2, you still have folk teeing off up till 4:30pm, and tee times start at 6:30am. Sunrise isn't until 7:30am at that time of year and sunset is around 6pm, so assuming the same number of entries then it's simply not possible to get everyone round with the available daylight.

So it's summer or cancelled for the Open IMO.

Or reduce the size of the field.

 

[Imurg]

I'm due to marshall the open, but I have been expecting a cancellation, I'm surprised by this decision.

There hasn't been a decision to be surprised about..
They've not come out and said " it's on" or "it's off".
They're weighing up their options which are either of the aforementioned or playing it at a future date this year...
They cant just say..right we cant play it in July let's book September, late will do...
There's masses of organisation that goes into simply finalising a date let alone getting it done.
I have no doubt that they won't play in July - that's almost a given.
But give them a chance to just see if, logistically, thay can play it later in the year before full on cancelling....

 

[garyinderry]

Can't see it happening this year!

Even if the UK can get a handle on the virus, it's a world problem and you can't have fans and players all from the 4 corners of the world coming together this summer at any stage.

 

[Grant85]

In normal circumstances on Day 1 and Day 2, you still have folk teeing off up till 4:30pm, and tee times start at 6:30am. Sunrise isn't until 7:30am at that time of year and sunset is around 6pm, so assuming the same number of entries then it's simply not possible to get everyone round with the available daylight.

So it's summer or cancelled for the Open IMO.

They could easily have 2 tee starts and / or reduce the field size.

There are loads of actions they could take if they really wanted to play and get it in this year. They have the money to do it, if they want to. It comes down to a will to get it done. Personally I'd imagine an org like the R&A have a pretty healthy bank balance and while money plays a factor, for a one off year, they could / should take a hit of some kind.

In September... I'd imagine things will be back to relative normality and they could easily do some or all of many things;
* play with reduced field size
* have a two tee time start
* have no qualifying, or final qualifying based solely on world ranking the week before the tournament
* have fewer fans at the event
* restrict ticket purchases to locals to ensure less travelling / impact on infrastructure
* play event with reduced prize money, if funds are a factor

People can have their own views on this but I would much rather they played it, even with a few big compromises, than cancelled the whole thing.

As I said, money is a factor, but it shouldn't be the defining factor. e.g. 'we were probably going to make a £10 million surplus on this. We can claim the insurance and get back to break even point or try and run the event and risk a loss'. In reality the insurance policy, assuming one exists and is valid, was likely put in place in the event of a September 11th type incident effectively cancelling the event at the last minute with not much thinking time or contingency. Likely that no one has even considered the possibility that basically half a season of the golf calendar would be wiped out and there would be genuine prospect of rearranging events for later in the year.

 

[Grant85]

Cancel it and be done. I don't see any way it can be done especially if the other majors go by the wayside too eventually

None of the other 4 majors have been cancelled.

 

[Jimaroid]

It'll get cancelled or postponed, this is a silly announcement. Open venues are effectively a construction site for months ahead of the event and the inability for the workforce to be on site in required capacity is going to have a huge impact. All the scaffies to build the grandstands aren't essential workers for a start.

Then there's the uncertainty of international players being allowed into the UK. Given USAs trajectory we won't be seeing the US players turn up in July.

Just cancel it, there's no other decision to make.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

They could easily have 2 tee starts and / or reduce the field size.

There are loads of actions they could take if they really wanted to play and get it in this year. They have the money to do it, if they want to. It comes down to a will to get it done. Personally I'd imagine an org like the R&A have a pretty healthy bank balance and while money plays a factor, for a one off year, they could / should take a hit of some kind.

In September... I'd imagine things will be back to relative normality and they could easily do some or all of many things;
* play with reduced field size
* have a two tee time start
* have no qualifying, or final qualifying based solely on world ranking the week before the tournament
* have fewer fans at the event
* restrict ticket purchases to locals to ensure less travelling / impact on infrastructure
* play event with reduced prize money, if funds are a factor

All of this is possible but the effect would be to dilute the event to such an extent that it would no longer be The Open.

No qualifying, reduced field (by how many?), two tee starts. All of a sudden it is just another Tour event.

At present The Masters and US Open are postponed rather than cancelled so how would all the majors and the Ryder Cup be fitted into a restricted calendar from, say, September?

Can't see top players being willing to go straight into a major with no previous regular tour events to get them competition ready and nor can I imagine they will want to play back to back to back majors and a Ryder Cup.

From the R&A's point of view there's no point in holding The Open if they can't see it generating a surplus as it is that surplus which funds all their other championships and worldwide work to develop the game.

Sadly I can only see cancellation of this year's event as a viable option.

 

[sunshine]

I'm due to marshall the open, but I have been expecting a cancellation, I'm surprised by this decision.

What decision?

 

[Grant85]

All of this is possible but the effect would be to dilute the event to such an extent that it would no longer be The Open.

No qualifying, reduced field (by how many?), two tee starts. All of a sudden it is just another Tour event.

At present The Masters and US Open are postponed rather than cancelled so how would all the majors and the Ryder Cup be fitted into a restricted calendar from, say, September?

Can't see top players being willing to go straight into a major with no previous regular tour events to get them competition ready and nor can I imagine they will want to play back to back to back majors and a Ryder Cup.

From the R&A's point of view there's no point in holding The Open if they can't see it generating a surplus as it is that surplus which funds all their other championships and worldwide work to develop the game.

Sadly I can only see cancellation of this year's event as a viable option.

It's not another Tour event. It's still the Open and no one would skip it.

My guess is we'll see closed doors events long before September that will give opportunity for warm ups and people to play themsleves into the fields for the majors.

3-6th Sept - US Open at Winged Foot, NY
17-20th Sept - Open, RSG, Kent
1-4th October - US PGA, Harding Park, CA (decent weather likely)
15-19 October - The Masters, Augusta, GA (again, weather will still be mild that far south)

Both US PGA and The Masters will normally have smaller field sizes so late dates will still give them enough daylight. And personally if you've got the bulk of the top 80 players in the world turning up, it's a major. No one who is fit and would normally play is going to skip any of these events. Even if the prize money was reduced and even if they had no tournament play before it. They will 100% turn up!

From the R&A's point of view. They are the custodians of Golf's oldest championship and should be exploring all realistic options. They would need to be idiots not to be able to run an event in September in the SE of England and at least break even.

Personally more than happy to see the Ryder Cup slide if it means getting the majors in. RC is one event that can still be played next year and they don't 'miss an event'.

I'm not saying it's easy, but these organisations from the R&A, USGA as well as the Masters, PGA Tour and European Tour etc... put huge events on between them every week of the year. To say it's impossible or can't be done is not the case.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

Not a hope in hell of getting the agreement of all parties, including players, to a schedule like the one suggested above.

Indeed the Ryder Cup is the only one I could see surviving as it carries no status or WGR points.

 

[Jacko_G]

It's not another Tour event. It's still the Open and no one would skip it.

My guess is we'll see closed doors events long before September, that will give opportunity for warm ups and people to play themsleves into the fields for the majors.

3-6th Sept - US Open at Winged Foot, NY
17-20th Sept - Open, RSG, Kent
1-4th October - US PGA, Harding Park, CA (decent weather likely)
15-19 October - The Masters, Augusta, GA (again, weather will still be mild that far south)

Both US PGA and The Masters will normally have smaller field sizes so late dates will still give them enough daylight. And personally if you've got the bulk of the top 80 players in the world turning up, it's a major. No one who is fit and would normally play is going to skip any of these events. Even if the prize money was reduced and even if they had no tournament play before it. They will 100% turn up!

From the R&A's point of view. They are the custodians of Golf's oldest championship and should be exploring all realistic options. They would need to be idiots not to be able to run an event in September and still at least break even.

Personally more than happy to see the Ryder Cup slide if it means getting the majors in. RC is one event that can still be played next year and they don't 'miss an event'.

I'm not saying it's easy, but these organisations from the R&A, USGA as well as the Masters, PGA Tour and European Tour etc... put huge events on between them every week of the year. To say it's impossible or can't be done is not the case.

What do you mean no one will skip it. Americans don't like traveling at the best of times. Covid 19 risks just gives another reason to skip the Open.

Parts of USA and even South Africa may even still have travel restrictions in place.