Moving the final round of a major championship is not unheard of, but usually it is to avoid incoming bad weather.
In 2019, the final round of the Masters teed off at 07:30 local time in order to miss thunderstorms. Tiger Woods took full advantage to famously win his fifth Green Jacket.
As recently as May, the fourth round of the Cadillac Championship on the PGA Tour was brought forward to prevent play being affected by bad weather, but moving a major to avoid a potential clash with another sporting event would be an unusual move.
Organisers, the R&A, say they aim to make a decision before the weekend.
“If there was going to be a change, we’d be communicating that over next 48 hours,” said Darbon.
“At the moment, we’re comfortable with our timings. If we were to make a change, it would be a subtle change.
“A discussion with broadcasters is an important one and there is also managing the crowd on site and making sure that is done in a safe and secure fashion.
“But we’re not expecting to make any dramatic changes. We’ll maintain that under review and finalise our position after the semi-final.”
The Open uses a three-hole play-off with the aggregate score deciding the winner, and if players are still tied, a sudden-death play-off after that.
It has been 11 years since golf’s oldest major has been decided by a play-off, with Zach Johnson prevailing at St Andrews in 2015.
