The Open Championship inherently instigates a wealth of fervour for the event, but the claret jug’s return to Royal Portrush in 2019 has amplified this excitement. For those unacquainted, Portrush, which hosted The Open in 1951, is a celestial convergence of land and sea, and boasts some of the best putting surfaces on the globe. It ranks as the seventh-best course in Golf Digest’s World 100, and, if that wasn’t enough, the R&A released this fantastic hype video for the Northern Ireland venue:
Royal Portrush 2019. The biggest party in golf just got bigger #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/nqDk5Z1NQX
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 23, 2018
Unfortunately, we’re here to douse those fires, ever so slightly. At least to those seeking to be on the Portrush property. For the first time in 148 years, the Open Championship has sold out.
More than 190,000 tickets were made public, a fifth of which were gone within 48 hours of posting. It smashes this year’s record at Carnoustie, which set the mark at 172,000. Portrush is not foreign to big crowds, breaking the Irish Open’s attendance figure (112,000) at the 2012 event.
Luckily, there’s still a chance to visit Portrush during the week, as practice round tickets will remain on sale. The 2019 Open Championship begins on July 18.
