The 148th Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland will see a crowd of 237,750 attend the golf major in July – a record for a championship held outside of St Andrews in Scotland.
Organisers of the British golf major have announced that this year’s attendance will beat the 237,000 who went to St Andrews in 2015 and the 235,000 at Royal Birkdale in 2017.
The attendance at St Andrews in 2000 – 239,000 – remains the highest with Royal Portrush now in second place.
Martin Slumbers, chief executive of The R&A, said: “This is a huge week not just for The Open but for golf as well. We are making history with a record attendance for a Championship staged outside of St Andrews and the levels of excitement among fans this week have been phenomenal.
“I said last year that big time sport needs big time crowds and we certainly have that at Royal Portrush as we stage the biggest sporting event ever to be held in Northern Ireland. The eyes of the sporting world are firmly set on Royal Portrush.
“We would like to thank all the fans for their passion and enthusiasm as we look forward to finding out who will lift the Claret Jug on Sunday. The Open would not be the success it is without the spectators.”
Next year’s Open championship will take place at Royal St George’s in Kent, England, from 12-19 July 2020.
The second largest attendance ever and the largest outside of St Andrews #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/82IBbruFNg
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2019
Highest attendances for The Open
- 239,000: St Andrews, Scotland, in 2000
- 237,750: Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland, in 2019
- 237,000: St Andrews, Scotland, in 2015
- 235,000: Royal Birkdale, England, in 2017
- 230,000: Royal Liverpool, England, in 2006