This summer’s 150th Open at St Andrews is set to be the largest in the championship’s history with a record-breaking 290,000 fans due to attend the Old Course from 10-17 July.
Unprecedented demand to attend this historic milestone for The Open led to more than 1.3 million applications in the ticket ballot and has resulted in the highest-ever number of general admission tickets being issued to fans.
The attendance surpasses the previous high mark set at St Andrews in 2000, when 239,000 spectators watched Tiger Woods lift the Claret Jug for the first time. A record 20% of general admission tickets have been allocated to fans under the age of 25, including over 20,000 children aged under 16 who will be attending free of charge thanks to the ‘Kids Go Free’ initiative.
A record 80,000 spectators are due to attend the four practice days, exceeding the total of 61,000 fans who attended the equivalent days at Royal Portrush in 2019.
The Open Camping Village continues to prove a popular accommodation option, particularly for families and young people, with around 3,650 visitors booking a place to stay on-site this year. Almost 40% of those staying at the campsite are under 25, meaning that around 8,000 free bed spaces have been provided to them since the initiative was launched at Royal Troon in 2016.
Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive at The R&A, said: “The 150th Open at St Andrews is going to be a momentous occasion for golf and this is clearly reflected in the extraordinary demand among fans to be part of this historic playing of the championship. We very much appreciate their passion and enthusiasm for The Open and are delighted that we will set a new attendance record that far exceeds the previous best set in 2000. We look forward to welcoming tens of thousands of fans from many countries around the world to St Andrews in July when they will enjoy a true celebration of golf at its historic home.”
