Despite widespread disruption to competitors and the need to deploy extra marshalls with the star groupings, the R & A has strangely paid tribute to the 183,000 fans who helped justify their high-risk decision to allow mobile phones into Royal Lytham and St. Annes.
There was disbelief in April when the R & A announced they would be lifting the ban on mobile phones for a first time since the massive disruption caused by digital cameras during the 2006 Open at Royal Liverpool.
The St. Andrews based ruling body got it right in 2007 by introducing airport x-ray facilities at Carnoustie, and for the past five years there has been peace and calmness at The Open.
Some one should inform these patrons they can't use their mobile phones to take pictures of players. (Photo - Eoin Clarke/www.golffile.ie)
But that all clearly changed on Thursday of this year’s Open with Tiger Woods and playing partners, Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia pestered for 18 holes by spectators using mobile phones to take pictures, and many using the flash facility.
It was the same scenario on Friday before the Deputy Chief Referee, along with six extra colleagues, boosted marshall numbers and walked with the Woods group just to quell those seeking to get a picture of the 14-time Major winner.
The practice continued over the remaining three days driving marshalls mad in seeking patrons to put away their mobile phones while on the course.
It effectively spoilt the role of the marshalls and instead they were forced to spend the majority of their time asking patrons to put away their mobile phones.
However the R & A is now saying the move was successful when anyone who walked with the star groupings clearly could see it was not.
R & A Chief executive Peter Dawson said: “The decision was taken to ban mobile phones after the Hoylake Open when we had some bad experiences with use of them, particularly as cameras at that time.
“We were conscious in the intervening years that this had actually taken away from our spectators something that they increasingly like to have
“We think the optimum solution is to still allow spectators to have these devices at the Championship whilst protecting the players from distraction.
“And, from what I can gather over the four days, we were successful in doing that this year.
“My hat comes off to the spectators and marshalls for allowing that to be the case.
“There are so many future advances coming along in technology that are going to enhance spectator experience at the Championship if people have mobile devices with them that it is desirable that we make this new policy work.”
Chairman of the Championship Committee Jim McArthur added: “We took a big risk here, reintroducing mobile phones to The Open Championship.
“We judged the golfing public would support us and generally they have.
“They’ve come up absolute trumps here because it could have been a disaster.”
It’s just a pity Peter Dawson didn’t walk the four days with Tiger Woods because he would have seen first hand how disruptive the move was.
As nine-time Major Champion, Gary Player said during a HSBC sponsoned breakfast at Royal Lytham the only way to stop any disruption to players and caddies is to adopt the practice at the Masters – ban phones completely!
