The organisers of the Open Championship have expressed confidence they can manage McIlroy mania on the golf tournament’s return to Northern Ireland in July.
The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush is set to become the second best attended in history, with almost 280,000 fans having snapped up tickets for the final major of the year.
The event was already a complete sell-out before home favourite Rory McIlroy completed the career grand slam with his dramatic Masters victory at Augusta National.
Almost 1.1 million people applied in the public ticket ballot last year, with 278,000 securing tickets across the practice days and four tournament days.
That is around 41,000 more than attended the Open when Shane Lowry triumphed at Royal Portrush in 2019.
That year marked the first time the Open had been played in Northern Ireland since 1951.
While the tickets for this year’s tournament were allocated long before the nerve-shredding conclusion at Augusta, recently appointed R&A chief executive Mark Darbon acknowledged that the prospect of McIlroy teeing off on home turf as a Masters champion had added to the excitement around the Open’s third hosting in Northern Ireland.
“I think it’s brilliant for the sport of golf, not just our own championship,” said Mr Darbon on a visit to Portrush on Tuesday.
“It was an amazing, emotional win.
“We’re delighted to see Rory etch his name in the history books.”
He added: “I mean 2019 was a roaring success, and so when we announced that we were coming back, there was a lot of pent-up excitement for that return.
“I think the game of golf is in a good space as well, from a participation perspective, you know, it’s never been healthier in terms of the growth that we’re seeing.
“So, there’s a lot of interest and excitement in the game right now.
“And, quite frankly, Rory McIlroy winning the Masters a couple of weekends ago just adds to that excitement.
“So, we’re looking forward to welcoming him here this summer too.”
The record attendance at an Open came in 2022 at St Andrews when 290,000 attended the 150th staging of the tournament.
Asked if the hype around McIlroy would present crowd management issues at Portrush in July, Mr Darbon said he was confident the understandable spectator desire to catch a glimpse of the local hero could be managed.
“I think you’re always thinking through how do you manage the crowd effectively, how do you get the experience right for spectators and other groups that we look after at one of these big events,” he told the PA news agency.
“I think it’s important to realise that the Open is more than just a golf event.
“It’s clearly one of golf’s majors, but it’s one of the biggest and best sporting events in the world, and so we spend a lot of time in planning and thinking through how we orchestrate movements of crowds and other groups around the golf course.
“And this will be no different.”
He added: “I think Rory’s win is fantastic for the game of golf.
“I was lucky enough to be out in Augusta and it was an emotional and fantastic win.
“And I think the outpouring of emotion that you saw, not just from Rory and his team, but from followers of the game more broadly, is testament to that fact.
“We think it kicks off what promises to be a brilliant summer of golf and we can’t wait to welcome people here to Royal Portrush.”
The R&A has pointed to an independent forecast by the Sport Industry Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University that estimates this year’s tournament will generate more than £213 million in total economic benefit for Northern Ireland, making it the biggest sporting event ever staged in the region.
The Open’s return to the island of Ireland comes as the R&A continues to scope out the feasibility of holding a future Open at Portmarnock near Dublin.
Mr Darbon said while “progress” was being made in regard to the potential of an Open in the Republic of Ireland he declined to offer a timeline.
“We’re going through a big feasibility study exercise right now, with support from the local authorities and the (Irish) government,” he said.
“We’re really getting under the skin of whether and how and when we can stage a championship at Portmarnock.
“Clearly, it’s a great golf course, and so we’re optimistic for the future.”
Mr Darbon was also asked about whether Turnberry in Scotland will return to the Open rota while it remains in the ownership of US President Donald Trump.
The R&A chief reiterated the organisation’s stance that the focus of any Open must be solely on the golf, but he also voiced concerns around the infrastructure offering in and around the Ayrshire course.
“I think when we come to town with our Open Championship we’ve always got to be confident that the focus will be on the golf,” he said.
“That applies wherever we go.
“But, given the scale of a modern Open Championship, we definitely have a few logistical and commercial challenges that we need to overcome at Turnberry.
“The golf course is magnificent, if anything it’s better now than it ever has been, given some of the improvements that have been made to the course, but there are some challenges around the road and rail network, some of the accommodation provision in the surrounding area, and so we’re working on what a model could look like for the future.”
With McIlroy completing the career grand slam at Augusta, the Co Down star is now the only male golfer in 2025 who could achieve the elusive calendar grand slam of four majors in one year.
Mr Darbon reflected on the levels of excitement that Portrush would witness if McIlroy arrives in July having also won the USPGA and US Open titles.
“Well, you never know. I mean clearly he’s a talented athlete,” he said.
“But it’s a competitive field.
“You know, we pride ourselves on having one of if not the strongest field in the game of golf at our Open Championship.
“So the competition will be tough to beat.
“But, you know, I’m sure Rory’s got some unfinished business here.”
