History will be made at The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush after it was revealed by The R&A today that 278,000 fans will gather at the iconic Dunluce links from 13-20 July for the largest Championship held outside of St Andrews.
Excitement among fans at The Open’s return to the Antrim Coast after the success of the Championship in 2019 led to unprecedented demand for tickets in the ballot last year with applications for more than one million tickets.
The attendance this year will surpass the previous high mark set at Royal Portrush six years ago when 237,750 fans celebrated Irishman Shane Lowry complete a memorable win in The 148th Open with a six-shot victory over Tommy Fleetwood.
Mark Darbon, Chief Executive at The R&A, said, “The Open is one of the world’s great sporting events and we will do everything we can to make this year’s Championship at Royal Portrush an outstanding and memorable occasion for everyone involved from fans to players and the millions watching on TV and digital platforms worldwide.
“The passion and enthusiasm for golf throughout the island of Ireland is world-renowned and is clearly reflected in the extraordinary demand among fans to be part of this historic occasion.
We look forward to welcoming a record crowd to these spectacular links for a true celebration of golf and seeing who emerges from the 156-strong field to become Champion Golfer of the Year.”
RECORD FOR NORTHERN IRELAND
The 153rd Open will also be the largest ever sporting event held in Northern Ireland and is expected to generate more than £213 million in total economic benefit for the country according to an independent forecast by the Sport Industry Research Centre (SIRC) at Sheffield Hallam University.
It estimates that the economic impact resulting from The 153rd Open will be £63 million, while the destination marketing benefit for Northern Ireland derived from coverage produced via linear television and digital platforms will exceed £150m.
“It’s clear that staging a major event such as The Open can generate significant economic benefits for the locations in which they are held and this study demonstrates the huge benefit that the Championship brings,” said Darbon.
“We are grateful to the government and local agencies in Northern Ireland for their investment and support in bringing the Championship back to Royal Portrush after the success of 2019.
Their enthusiasm and expertise has been crucial to our planning and we thank them for the work they have contributed towards making this possible.”