SOUTHPORT, England — Even though England’s run to the World Cup semifinals is playing out in the U.S., the successful performance is adding some juice—and potentially some distruptions—to the Open Championship back home at Royal Birkdale Golf Club this week.
Hype in the country reached a fever pitch after England’s electric 2–1 victory over Norway in extra time on Saturday.
Ahead of Wednesday’s semifinal against Lionel Messi and Argentina, which kicks off at 8 p.m. in England, pubs and restaurants have been preparing for massive watch parties, especially in Southport, which has a population of roughly 95,000 but is expecting 300,000 fans to attend the Open this week.
“We’ve got big things as well to do this week,” Englishman Justin Rose said Tuesday in his pre-tournament press conference. “But at the same time, it’s a match where if you think that you’re not going to watch it, you’re probably kidding yourself.”
Rose, 45, tees off at 9:36 a.m. in Thursday’s first round.
