The Open | Record attendance at Royal Birkdale

The Open | Record attendance at Royal Birkdale

The R&A have announced the attendance for The 146th Open was a bumper 235,000, the third-highest figure of all time.

Only the Opens held at St Andrews in 2010 and 2015 have attracted a larger crowd, making this week a record attendance for the showpiece event at an English venue.

The stand around the first tee was packed to see Mark O’Meara strike the opening blow

This week’s turnout is just 4,000 short of the all-time record for the 2010 Open at The Old Course, when Louis Oosthuizen cruised to a handsome victory, while 237,000 were in attendance when Zach Johnson edged out Marc Leishman and Oosthuizen in a play-off, with the tournament being forced into a fifth day due to high winds which postponed the majority of Saturday’s play.

A statement from the R&A read: “This year’s attendance surpassed the 230,000 mark set at Royal Liverpool in 2006, making it the largest ever Championship held in England and reflects a 17 per cent increase since The Open last visited Royal Birkdale in 2008.

Royal Birkdale again attracted a bumper crowd

“Record advance ticket sales made it the fastest-selling Championship in history and included more than 15,000 Youth Tickets. Overall 30,000 golf fans under the age of 25 attended The Open, 13 per cent of the total crowd, and included over 15,000 juniors aged 16 and under who attended free-of-charge as part of the Kids Go Free initiative.

“Huge demand for The Open’s official hospitality offering led to all six packages selling out, including the Claret Jug Pavilion, Champions Club and Greenside Club.”

Galleries packed the fairways watching Jordan Spieth on Saturday

R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said: “One of the main reasons why The Open is so highly regarded as a world class sporting event is the hundreds of thousands of spectators who generate a very special atmosphere for the players and millions of viewers watching around the world.

“A record-breaking crowd has enjoyed a week of thrilling golf and we thank every single person who has visited Royal Birkdale over the last eight days for making this a very special Championship.”

There have not been many spare seats in any stand around a green

Top 10 Open attendances:

2000, St Andrews, Scotland: 239,000
2015, St Andrews, Scotland: 237,000
2017, Royal Birkdale, England: 235,000
2006, Royal Liverpool, England: 230,000
2005, St Andrews, Scotland: 223,000
1990, St Andrews, Scotland: 209,000
2014, Royal Liverpool, England: 203,000
2008, Royal Birkdale, England: 201,500
2010, St Andrews, Scotland: 201,000
1998, Royal Birkdale, England: 195,000

The 147th Open will take place at Carnoustie from 15-22 July 2018 and fans who are eager to beat the rush to buy tickets can sign up to The One Club, a unique membership that allows fans to sign-up for free and get exclusive access to behind-the-ropes and other money-can’t-buy experiences, including priority access to tickets for the Championship in 2018, 2019 (Royal Portrush) and 2020 (Royal St George’s). Visit TheOpen.com/TheOneClub for more information.