The 149th Open Championships looks set to go ahead in July as planned at Royal St George’s Golf Club in Kent, although the question as to whether spectators can attend remains uncertain.
After being postponed last year due to the pandemic, when the three other Major championships went ahead, albeit at different times than the traditional schedule, the R&A is determined that golf’s oldest Major should return in 2021. It’s also a well-known fact that The Open is considered to be the sporting event with the biggest betting volume with a number of people hoping to place their bets at best online casino
“We are certainly planning to stage The Open, but clearly, at this point in time, there are multiple possible scenarios,” said R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers. “We remain hopeful that spectators will be permitted at Sandwich this summer, but if healthy and safety protocols allow. We are working with the government and health authorities, and it’s certainly a lot more complex than staging a normal Open Championship. But we are going to do everything we possibly can to put on a great championship for the country.
“I think there’s a very good possibility we will be able to have spectators, but we will have to wait and see how many. We are balancing the health and safety of everyone involved, but I strongly believe The Open needs spectators. It will be really important to have some, but we want to make sure we do it smartly, intelligently and with due diligence.”
Slumbers says the R&A will be monitoring the impact of having a limited number of spectators at Augusta National for the Masters in April.
The field for Royal St George’s had reached 106 before the coronavirus pandemic forced tournament organisers to enforce a 12-month postponement. But all 106 have been assured their places in the field for 2021 will be honoured, while the R&A also confirmed the International Open Qualifying Series will not return until after next year’s Open. That leaves 50 places up for grabs via the numerous Open exemption categories, with Regional and Final Qualifying scheduled to take place in June.