Unprecedented demand for tickets for next year’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush has led to all four tournament 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, 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 for free if they are accompanied by an adult and have a ticket under the Open’s “Kids Go Free” programme.
A waiting list has 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 of 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 R&A is also reminding fans of the importance of buying from only official sources 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.