Final preparations putt in place for the Open
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Chief executive Peter
Dawson
by Mary Louis and Nisha Chopra
Organisers are putting the finishing touches to preparations for
one of the world's most prestigious international sporting events
which kicks off in Kent this week.
This year's Open Golf Championship will be hosted by the Royal
St George's club in Sandwich.
It will bring some of the sport's greatest players to
the village as well as 50,000 spectators daily and 2,000
members of the world's media.
Sandwich has hosted the event 13 times before and was the
first venue to host The Open outside Scotland.
It is the largest single annual sports event in the UK and would
be seen on TV in more than 100 countries with the largest audiences
in the USA and Japan.
The R&A are the organisers of the Open, their chief
executive Peter Dawson said: "We have television coverage of the
Championship.
"I think the household reach is bout 600 million homes around
the world - so potential tourists learn about the area and it can
generate a good deal of tourism traffic in the years following the
championship."
Dover District Council and Kent County Council have played major
parts in the organisation.
Cllr Nigel Collor, who has been chairman of The Open golf
executive committee for four years, said arriving at the event had
been a "long journey" achieved in partnership with other
agencies.
Council bosses say the Open has been invaluable in securing
an international profile for the area and providing a huge boost to
its economy.
It is also hoped the course will rival to St Andrew's in
Scotland, with changes to the layout set to make it even more
challenging for players.
Royal St George's Club Professional Andrew Brooks said: "Since
2003 we've had three new tees put in - 20 to 30 yards
longer.
"The par will be the same but it'll be a bigger shot for the
players to hit into the green, particularly if the wind is blowing
against them, so that'll make it very difficult."
"This is a monster of a place...” – Andrew Brooks
He added: "This is a huge place. Some of the championship
courses are on a narrow piece of ground but this is a monster of a
place, so there's plenty of room for many spectators."
Changes in technology since The Open was last held at Sandwich
in 2003 meant the majority of bookings for 2011 have been done
online, rather than by telephone. Mobile phones have played a key
role.
Another major introduction for 2011 is the high speed train
service which will be extended through The Open into Sandwich
station.
The competition properly starts on Thursday, finishing on the
Sunday.
Click here to read our series of reports throughout the week on how
the Open affects Kent.
Monday, July 11 2011
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