No-Deal Brexit Could Be A Headache For The Open, European Tour

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With the March 29th deadline looming, R&A Chief Martin Slumbers explains how the failure to reach a Brexit deal could have huge ramifications for The Open at Royal Portrush.

From Alistair Tait’s Golfweek story:

A no-deal Brexit could potentially see the return of a hard border on the island of Ireland, something Slumbers could do without.

“The future of the border is our number one concern. We’ve got over 2,000 containers to get across the Irish Sea.

“The problem is we don’t know whether to reschedule to bring all our containers in through Dublin, whether to move them through Belfast, whether to ship them out of the UK now. That’s the biggest concern, and there are other aspects that make Brexit potentially very complex.”

Hey how about us people who have to cross those borders!

As for the European Tour, exchange rates are Keith Pelley’s primary concern:

“When we talk about Brexit it always comes back to how it will affect foreign exchange rates, and how it would affect prize money,” Pelley said. “That’s the crux for the European Tour.”

Video: Good Look At Royal Portrush's New Holes

Brian Keogh at the Irish Golf Desk says elite amateurs can first test Royal Portrush's "new" holes when the course hosts the North of Ireland Amateur Open from July 10-14.

This will be the first chance to see the two new MacKenzie-designed holes set to replace the current finishing holes when Portrush hosts the 2019 Open Championship.

Two new holes have been added to the famous links and play will now finish at what was originally the 16th. After playing the 189-yard (sixth) Harry Colt’s, a stunning par-three perched above White Rocks beach, players turn right into a valley where they will encounter a new challenge.

Holes seven and eight run parallel to the coast, high dunes concealing the shoreline as play sweeps through previously uncharted territory.

Keogh embeds a video showing the two holes off. New sand dune areas have just begun to be developed, but in two years they should look beautiful.