Spectators will be banned from taking mobile phones to this year's British Open at Carnoustie after complaints from players during the 2006 championship at Hoylake.

"We have so far resisted the call to ban mobile phones on the grounds that it may be an inconvenience to the public," said David Hill, director of championships for the Royal & Ancient organisers, in a news release.

"However, after receiving complaints referring to the numbers that were in use as play was proceeding (last year), we feel there is no other reasonable option other than a complete ban."

In order to implement the ban, security checks of every spectator will be made upon entry to the third major of the year.

World number one Tiger Woods will begin the defence of his British Open title on July 19.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.