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The BBC has defended its decision to hold back live coverage of the delayed final day of The Open at St Andrew’s.
Play began at 07:45 BST but the televised coverage did not start until six hours later, meaning the channel only showed the final five groups live.
Instead, viewers hoping to tune in to the finale to the third Major of the year were met with Homes Under the Hammer, Heir Hunters and Bargain Hunt.
The stance, with Radio 5 Live also not broadcasting until 1pm, led to an angry response on social media but the BBC backed its position.
In a statement, the corporation said: “The BBC has brought unprecedented coverage of this year’s Open to the widest possible, free-to-air audience with extended scheduling across all days of competition, including two extra hours on both Friday and Saturday.
“Our key aim today is to fully tell the most important story - who will win the Open - and make the very best use of our resources on this extra day’s play.
“We will be following the leaderboard top 10 from the start of their rounds to their finish plus the continued action from those that started before them so audiences won’t miss any of the key action as it unfolds.”
