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Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush set for record attendance outside St Andrews
History is set to be made at The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush, as The R&A announced a staggering 278,000 golf enthusiasts are expected to flock to the iconic Dunluce links from 13-20 July. This year's Championship promises to be the largest ever conducted outside of St Andrews. The event's return to Northern Ireland's Antrim coast has spurred unparalleled excitement in the wake of the 2019 tournament's triumph. Last year's ticket ballot saw demand soar, with over one million tickets requested. This year's attendance is poised to exceed the record previously set six years ago at the same venue when a crowd of 237,750 celebrated Shane Lowry's emphatic six-shot win over Tommy Fleetwood in The 148th Open. READ MORE: Rory McIlroy and Erica Stoll drama forced golfer to make key decision about new romance READ MORE: Rory McIlroy knows Keegan Bradley's opinion after Masters win – 'It's ridiculous' Mark Darbon, Chief Executive at The R&A, expressed his enthusiasm: "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." He further highlighted the vibrant local passion for golf: "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." The 153rd Open, set to be the largest sporting event ever held in Northern Ireland, is projected to generate over £213 million in total economic benefit for the country. This forecast comes from an independent study by the Sport Industry Research Centre (SIRC) at Sheffield Hallam University. The SIRC estimates that the direct economic impact of The 153rd Open will be around £63 million. Additionally, the destination marketing benefit for Northern Ireland, resulting from coverage on linear television and digital platforms, is expected to surpass £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 Dabon. Darbon expressed gratitude towards the government and local agencies in Northern Ireland for their investment and support in bringing the Championship back to Royal Portrush after the successful 2019 event. He praised their enthusiasm and expertise as crucial to the planning process. Aine Kearney, Director of Events at Tourism Northern Ireland, shared her excitement with less than three months to go until The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush. She said: "With less than three months to go until The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush, excitement is building and all the partners involved in the delivery of the Championship are working in collaboration to make it even bigger and more memorable than 2019. "The Open in 2019 brought huge economic benefits, not just to the North Coast, but to the whole of Northern Ireland and 2025 will be no different. "It is shaping up to be another world-class sporting event which presents us with an invaluable opportunity to further raise Northern Ireland's profile as a must-see travel and golf destination as well as a fantastic place to invest." The Open continues to be one of the most accessible major sporting events for young people thanks to The R&A's long-running Kids Go Free initiative. More than 27,000 tickets are available for those under the age of 16 and there are reduced price tickets for fans under the age of 25. Since Kids Go Free was launched in 1997, 434,000 children have attended The Open for free. A record 89,000 spectators will attend the four sold-out Practice Days of The 153rd Open, 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 among families and young people with 4,600 guests booking a place to stay on-site this year. Almost a third (32%) of those staying at the village are under the age of 25 meaning that 20,000 free bed nights have been provided to this group since the initiative was launched at Royal Troon in 2016. Sign up to our free sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox
Irish Daily Mirror
22-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Record numbers to attend The 153rd Open at Portrush to watch bid for Claret Jug
The Open at Portrush will host the largest championship ever held outside of St Andrews. The Dunluce Links will be the venue for the 153rd Open, marking the championship's return for the first time since Shane Lowry's emotional victory there in 2019 when he won by six shots over Tommy Fleetwood. This year's championship takes place between July 13 and 20, with The R&A today confirming that 278,000 spectators will attend between practice and tournament days on the county Antrim coast, as new Masters champion Rory McIlroy and Lowry return to home shores in a bid to win the Claret Jug. The success of the 2019 hosting 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 Portrush six years ago when 237,750 fans celebrated Lowry's first major victory in The 148th Open. 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.' It will 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 £63m (€73.3m), while the destination marketing benefit for Northern Ireland derived from coverage produced via linear television and digital platforms will exceed £150m (€174.5m). '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.' Aine Kearney, Director of Events at Tourism Northern Ireland, said: 'With less than three months to go until The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush, excitement is building and all the partners involved in the delivery of the Championship are working in collaboration to make it even bigger and more memorable than 2019. 'The Open in 2019 brought huge economic benefits, not just to the North Coast, but to the whole of Northern Ireland and 2025 will be no different. 'It is shaping up to be another world-class sporting event which presents us with an invaluable opportunity to further raise Northern Ireland's profile as a must-see travel and golf destination as well as a fantastic place to invest.' Thanks to The R&A's long-running Kids Go Free initiative, more than 27,000 tickets are available for under-16s and there are reduced price tickets for fans under 25. Since Kids Go Free was launched in 1997, 434,000 children have attended The Open for free. A record 89,000 spectators will attend the four sold-out practice days of The 153rd Open, 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 among families and young people with 4,600 guests booking a place to stay on-site this year. Almost a third (32%) of those staying at the village are under the age of 25 meaning that 20,000 free bed nights have been provided to this group since the initiative was launched at Royal Troon in 2016.
