One hurdle for officials was to figure out how to get the majority of the materials for the tented village and grandstands shipped not by motorway but by water.
As it did a year ago at Carnoustie, the governing body decided to test the drivers of a handful of players, Woods included, after their practice rounds at Royal Portrush.
What has already been an eventful year regarding players and the new Rules of Golf took a bizarre turn on overnight when Sergio Garcia was disqualified from the European Tour’s Saudi International.