Following protests at a number of significant sporting events this year by climate activists ‘Just Stop Oil,’ security teams are on high alert at Hoylake for this year’s Open Championship. Merseyside Police, working in conjunction with The R&A have made contingency plans with a view towards preventing campaigners from disrupting play at Royal Liverpool.
After Jonny Bairstow took matters into his own hands to remove a protester from the field during the second Ashes Test at Lords, Jon Rahm was asked in his pre-Open press conference whether he would be prepared to take similar action if confronted by an activist on the fairways of Hoylake.
“Well, I don't know. I do have a reputation, so I hope they don't catch me on a bad hole,” he said jokingly. “You don't want to disrupt play, which they're trying, so if it happens where I'm at, I'm obviously going to try to clean up as quickly as possible so we can resume play. That's all I can say.”
Rahm said he hadn’t yet received guidance on protocol for encountering a protester, but he was clear in his message to potential disruptors that they should be very careful of putting themselves in harm’s way on the golf course.
“They might have more room to run around (on a golf course) and do what they need to do, but what I can assure you is you don't want to get hit by a golf ball,” he said. “Whether it's on purpose or even by accident, you don't want to be caught in the middle of that.”
Merseyside Police have said that uniformed and plain clothes officers will be operating at Hoylake, officers who are trained to spot the “tell tale signs that someone may have criminal intent.”
Just Stop Oil has already staged protests at this year’s Grand National, the Ashes, the World Snooker Championship and Wimbledon. A technique they employ is to throw dye onto the playing surfaces and there’s a fear that could be something attempted on the greens at Royal Liverpool.
Hoylake was a target for protesters in 2006 when Fathers for Justice campaigners threw purple dye on the 18th green during the final round of the Open Championship won by Tiger Woods.
Jon Rahm gets his Open campaign underway on Thursday at 2.59pm in the company of Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose. Hopefully their round will be completed free of interruptions.
