LONDON North Eastern Railway (LNER) has doubled the number of services running to and from Leuchars to help golf fans attend the 150th Open Championship in St Andrews.
Fonded in 1860, the Open is one of the four major men’s golf tournaments, along with the Masters, the PGA Championship and US Open. Hosted by the Old Course, one of the oldest golf clubs in the world, this year’s Open is shaping up to be the largest in the championship’s history, with a record-breaking 290,000 spectators expected over the seven days it is held after a reported 1.3 million people applied for tickets.
READ MORE: Open Championship 2022: The Scottish golfers hoping to win at St Andrews
Due to this demand, LNER has laid on four extra services between Edinburgh and Dundee and stopping a Leuchars until the Open concludes on 17 July.
Despite the provision of extra trains, LNER nevertheless recommend that those planning to travel to the championship plan ahead, use their online reservation tool, and allow extra time for boarding and ticket checks.
Much anticipation among golf fans has been aroused by the return of Tiger Woods - who first lifted the Claret Jug at the Open in 2000 - and Robert MacIntyre, who is considered to be Scotland’s best hope for securing victory in the championship.
READ MORE: The Open: Things to do in St Andrews if golf isn't your thing
The Open is expected to continue unaffected by adverse weather, with forecasts predicting dry, sunny spells for the duration, following Sunday’s heatwave which saw the temperature peak at 29.3 degrees celsius - the highest recorded temperature in St Andrews ever in July.
Details of LNER’s extra services to Leuchars for the 150th Open can be found on their website.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here