No flies on us as we look forward to new views of the Open

An air exclusion zone will be enforced around Royal Portrush for the duration of The Open – from 4.30am to 9pm every day – with the use of drones included in the order. The Police Service of Northern Ireland warned the public, “if you are detected breaching this order and end up with a criminal record, your travel and career prospects will be negatively affected”.

The order, however, doesn’t apply to Sky Sports’ use of drones for their extensive coverage of the championship, which will include a Spidercam that will supply aerial shots from the 18th green, alongside a number of other innovations.

The four-point wirecam system will provide immersive experiences of play unlike any seen before in a live TV production for golf.

Suspended above the 18th green, aerial views and unique angles will bring to life the natural undulations of the hole and short shots around the green before the greatest walk in golf is captured as the champion golfer of the year is crowned on Sunday.

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During approach shots the Spidercam will be in a resting position behind the 18th green.

Spidercam has been used widely in TV coverage of other major sports, including soccer, rugby and cricket in the UK and will complement existing technology, including a plane camera, aerial drones, bunker cameras and Toptracer, which has been introduced in recent years by The R&A and European Tour Productions to enhance live coverage of The Open.

Francesco Molinari with the Claret Jug after winning the Open in 2018. Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images

Donald plots US downfall

Francesco Molinari has been brought on board as one of Luke Donald’s vice-captains in Europe’s bid to retain the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in New York in September.

“He knows how to win Ryder Cups, having been on three winning teams, and I think that’s really important for us. We obviously have a tough task ahead of us trying to win away,” said Donald of drafting in Molinari to join his brother Edoardo, Thomas Bjorn and José María Olazábal in Europe’s backroom team.

Of that task facing Europe, Molinari admitted: “You just have to look at the stats to see how difficult it is to win the Ryder Cup away from home. It hasn’t happened that often recently, so it is a big challenge but it is a big opportunity to try to do something that, if it does happen, will be remembered for a long, long time.”

Molinari’s thoughts this week will be on being competitive in The Open, which he won in 2018. Since then, he has managed two top-15 finishes, tied-11th here at Royal Portrush in 2019 and tied-15th in 2022.

Upswing in golfers

A new report issued by the R&A to coincide with the 153rd Open has shown sustained growth of golf around the world, with 108 million adults and juniors playing across all formats of the sport in the governing body’s affiliated markets, excluding the United States and Mexico.

The research figures highlight total adult participation of 64.1 million – adult golfers playing one or more of the many formats of golf – an increase of 1.8 million since 2023, with simulator golf, adventure golf and driving range use included in the participation figures along with the traditional 9- and 18-hole on-course players.

Mark Darbon, chief executive of The R&A, said: “I am delighted to see participation continue to grow in our affiliated markets across the world, encompassing 148 countries. Over 100 million people playing golf in some format is significant and highlights the sport’s sustained appeal.

“The growth in non-traditional formats such as driving ranges, adventure golf and simulator golf, is helping drive participation among adults and juniors on a global scale while on-course activity also remains very popular.

By the Numbers: 1

Pádraig Harrington will have the honour of hitting the opening tee-shot in Thursday’s first round of the championship. The Dubliner won two Claret Jugs in back-to-back years, in 2007 at Carnoustie and 2008 at Royal Birkdale. He is the current US Senior Open champion. One payback for getting to hit the opening tee shot – which Darren Clarke performed in 2019 – is a very early alarm call for the 6.30am tee time.

Word of Mouth

“In the last two weeks I’ve played Portmarnock, The Island, Baltray, Waterville, Hogs Head and Adare Manor. So, I’ve played some of the best courses we have in the country. I went and I parked myself down in Waterville last week, and I spent the week down there. I played golf every day, played a lot of golf. The weather was almost too good, that was the issue. There wasn’t enough wind. The sun was shining too much and it was too warm. But it’s been an amazing couple of weeks.

“I haven’t been home to Ireland since Christmas, so I’ve been home for the last three weeks. I’ve had a nice time being back home, and I kind of feel a little bit rejuvenated and ready to go again. I’ve had a busy season, and it’s about to be another kind of busy next three or four months, as well. I feel like I’m ready to go again” – Shane Lowry on playing bucket-list golf in returning to the scene of his great win in 2019.

Social Swing

Current forecast for The Open at Portrush: heavy, possibly thundery showers lurking for Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. But when the sun breaks through? Near 20 – BBC weatherman Barra Best giving the bad and good news.

A very enjoyable week at #genesisscottishopen As always the hospitality from The Renaissance Club and @DPWorldTour was first class. The course is really maturing into a great venue. Looking forward to getting a few more good breaks like the 7-iron below @TheOpen – Pádraig Harrington, with a video clip of a kind bounce and near hole-in-one.

Fun week in Spain. Great to get the team win for @LegionXIIIgc and captain @JonRahmOfficial. See you soon Portrush – Tyrrell Hatton, who is likely to be a strong contender given his past wins on links terrain.