Unprecedented demand for tickets for The 148th Open at Royal Portrush has led to all four Championship days being completely sold out.
The Open was last played in Northern Ireland in 1951 and there has been huge excitement about the return of one of the world’s great sporting events. In anticipation of high levels of demand, Championship organisers The R&A moved to an all-ticket model for 2019 but the surge in ticket sales has surpassed all expectations.
Fans wishing to book their place at Royal Portrush next year still have time to visit TheOpen.com to purchase the remaining tickets for the four practice days taking place from 14-17 July.
Prices start from as little as £15 for adults while youth tickets for those aged 16-24 begin at £10. Children under the age of 16 can attend the Championship for free, if they are accompanied by an adult and have a ticket, under The Open’s “Kids Go Free” programme.
A tickets waiting list and a Hospitality waiting list have been introduced for fans wishing to register their interest in purchasing any cancelled or returned tickets for Championship days which may become available at a later date.
Priority for these tickets will be given to members of The One Club. It is free to sign up to and provides access to a range of other benefits associated with The Open.
Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, Executive Director – Championships at The R&A, said, “It is clear from the record-breaking ticket sales that golf fans are looking forward to the long-awaited return of The Open to Northern Ireland. We knew there would be great demand but it has been even higher than we expected and we expect fans will take advantage of the remaining practice day tickets now that we have sold out on Championship days.
“The 148th Open is set to be a truly historic and memorable occasion and we are encouraging fans to act quickly to avoid disappointment by securing their place at Royal Portrush through visiting TheOpen.com or one of our official ticket providers.”
The R&A is also reminding fans of the importance of buying from only official sources of tickets for The 148th Open are via TheOpen.com or Authorised Ticketing Providers.
Any tickets made available on websites such as Viagogo, Safetickets.net, Stubhub, eBay and Gumtree are done so without the permission of The R&A and as such, may be refused entry to the Championship.
Staged by The R&A, The Open delivers an annual economic benefit of up to £100 million to its host region, while the Championship’s commercial success supports the development of the game, worldwide.
Pictured top: Sergio Garcia signs autographs on Practice Day
The R&A www.randa.org