Record-Breaking Spectacle On The Horizon At Royal Portrush
May 12, 2025
Representatives have announced that the 153rd Open, to be held at Royal Portrush Golf Club, will become the largest sporting event ever hosted on the island of Ireland.
Addressing Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, R&A Director of Public Affairs Robert Oxley outlined that the championship, running from July 13 to July 20, is expected to attract around 40,000 more spectators than the 148th Open in 2019, also staged at Royal Portrush. Executive Director Johnnie Cole-Hamilton confirmed plans to erect over 10,000 grandstand seats, alongside viewing platforms for an additional 4,000 standing attendees.
He explained:
“Those grandstands will continue to be built all the way up to the Saturday prior to the Championship starting.
“As we build each grandstand various suppliers will add netting, add the branding, and put the Wi-Fi spots up.”
Mr Oxley added that a recent media day in Portrush saw the R&A announce a projected record attendance for the Open—excluding St Andrews Golf Club in Scotland.
“We’ll be expecting 278,000 fans,” he said. “That’s significantly higher than any other non-St Andrews event and a testament to where Portrush now sits in the pool of venues that host the Open.”
He further noted:
“The demand outstrips supply with over one million applications for tickets, surpassing the high mark Portrush set six years ago.
“This is close to 40,000 extra fans and that is driven by practice days, which were also a sell-out this year. We believe the 153rd Open will be the largest sporting event ever held in Northern Ireland and the largest sporting event held in the island of Ireland.
“A total economic benefit of £213 million is expected, and we’re also proud to be one of the most accessible major sporting events for young people [with] 27,000 free tickets for those under the age of 16.”
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