By Cara Dodson

A DISGRUNTLED golf fan has accused organisers of the Open Championship in St Andrews of “ripping off” visitors to the competition.

The reader from Fife, who did not want to be named, contacted The Courier after he turned up to watch play at St Andrews on Saturday.

He was angry to find out although he arrived late in the day, he would still have to pay the full admission charge of £45.

He said, “When my friend and I reached the admission gate it was about 4.30 pm.

“We were very surprised and angry to find out we would still have to pay the full day’s admission charge, even although there was only about three and a half hours of play left.

“I just don’t think it’s right to charge people the same amount for a few hours as the people who have been able to watch a whole day’s golf.

“When we were standing at the admission gate and learned about this we were really put off and other people behind us who were also going in at the same time walked away because they weren’t willing to fork out that sort of money.

“It’s a shame that people are being put off going in to watch the Open because of this and I think organisers are ripping off fans by charging the same price all day.”

But a spokesman from the R&A denied they were taking advantage of late-comers and said the price was value for money.

He said, “On Saturday we had a crowd of over 40,000 people attend the Open and they all had to pay the full admission price.

“The first players tee-off around 7 am and the gates are open from 6 in the morning but some people do come along later in the day and expect a reduction.

“We believe everyone should pay the same fee and we have to be able to manage the crowd within the Open site. Security and safety is extremely important to the R&A.

“We have had some very large crowds here this year and if we were to open the gates free of charge or at a reduced price later in the day it would cause problems.

“Other spectators might be wanting to leave as another huge crowd comes in. Security has to be upmost in our minds at all times.

“It’s been a great championship once again. On Friday we had Jack Nicklaus in his last competition which was a great experience to be able to watch and then on Saturday there was another excellent day’s play with Tiger Woods and Colin Montgomery which was great to watch.

“Fans can also plan ahead for the next Open as tickets are now available for next year.”