The 153rd Open Championship isn’t the only show in Portrush this week.
On Saturday night, dozens of marching bands are scheduled to parade through the seaside town in the northern reaches of Northern Ireland as part of an annual event conducted by a loyalist organization called the Portrush Sons of Ulster.
A couple of thousand spectators are expected to line the town’s streets for the music and revelry, which will start at 8:30 p.m., in the wake of the third round of the Open.
To alleviate the confluence of golf- and parade-watchers, R&A chief Mark Darbon told the media Wednesday that the Open plans to move up third-round tee times by approximately 15 minutes. Those starting times have not yet been released, but at the 2024 Open at Royal Troon, the final pairing Saturday went off at 10:45 a.m. local time.
Darbon described the adjustment as a “slight tweak,” adding, “At the same time, this is an outdoor sport. The weather can play a big role. It’s very difficult to be precise on finishing times. But we’re looking at some marginal adjustments.”
Earlier this month, The Belfast Telegraph reported that the R&A had offered the Portrush Sons of Ulster £20,000 to postpone the parade, a payment the group declined to accept.
When asked about the R&A’s alleged offer Wednesday, Darbon didn’t directly address the question, saying: “We’re actually contributing some incremental costs to support what I just said, the seamless operation of both events. We try and be good citizens in the communities in which we operate when we come to town. I think when you’re staging a major event, security is always — security and the safety of your guests and the experience of your guests is always a prime consideration. This is no different. That’s why that multiagency approach is so critical.”
Allister Kyle, a unionist politician who participated in negotiations between Portrush Sons of Ulster and the R&A, told the Belfast News Letter that the R&A had made a monetary offer but that it came “at the 11th hour when advertising and all had already been put out for the parade.”
“They [the band] rejected an offer of less than £20,000,” Kyle added. “And had the offer been over £20,000, I’d have thought it still would’ve been rejected.”
One of the biggest concerns for the parade organizers is the demand that the Open will put on parking and public transport.
A message posted Tuesday on the Portrush Sons of Ulster Facebook page reads: “We would just like to make it clear that as I’m sure everyone is aware we don’t have as much control of the town as we usually would. The band has made it clear from the start of meetings we were having our parade and that hasn’t changed. We understand the changes don’t suit everyone and we completely understand as it affects us to but we hope everyone understands what we’re up against. It has taken a serious amount of work for us to get where we are at today.”
First- and second-round tee times for the 2025 Open Championship are available. You may browse them here.
