Record 300,000 fans to attend this year's Open - what is The R&A's ultimate target?

The current record for the game’s oldest major was set for the 150th edition at St Andrews in 2022, when 290,000 watched the action on the Old Course over the course of the week. A new record for a staging away from the Home of Golf was then set last year as 278,000 fans attended at Royal Portrush, where Scottie Scheffler got his hands on the trophy.

In 2017, the last time it was staged at Royal Birkdale, the figure was 235,000, but, speaking at a media event at the Southport venue on Monday morning, Darbon revealed that the figure for this year’s visit will exceed 300,000 spectators. At Royal Lytham, where it has been announced that the 2028 edition will be held, the 2012 event had a crowd of 181,000 while just over 142,000 attended at Muirfield the following year.

“Look, we don't have a target in mind when it comes to spectator numbers,” replied Darbon to being asked about future growth. “What we know is a couple of things. We know we have very strong demand for our championship, and that's a positive. We'd like to try and service that demand where we can, and that means looking for opportunities to grow spectator numbers where possible.

“But, at the same time, it's a delicate balance because the one thing we want to do, of course, is protect the spectator experience, and we want to manage our crowd sensitively around these wonderful golf courses.”

While Birkdale being in a “great location” will allow those huge numbers to attend on 16-19 July, Darbon used Lytham, where the course is landlocked and space is tight, as an example of a venue where the attendance figure will not be in the same region.

Number for 2028 event at Lytham will not be as big

“We will not be close to that number when we're at Lytham in 2028,” he added. “We'll have a lower capacity because the site is very different, and that's fine for us. So we'll flex our number depending on the nature and setup of the existing course. There's probably a lower limit for us these days because of that demand and our desire to present The Open Championship in a certain way. So lots of factors go into it, but we certainly don't have a target in mind.”

Unveiled last week, The R&A’s new five-year strategy aims to attract 22 million additional golfers around the world at the same time as creating more than £25 billion in social value through the sport.

“The Open Championship is our biggest commercial driver,” added Darbon, who took up the reins from Martin Slumbers after the 2024 Open at Royal Troon. “So we take the profit we generate from The Open Championship and invest it back into the game. So we have to think somewhat commercially about this championship because it underpins the rest of that wonderful work that we do. So there's always going to be a balance between commercial reality and the desire to keep The Open open and accessible to all.”

Match-day tickets for next year’s Ryder Cup at Adare Manor are costing around £430. Despite that, tickets were sold out in less than an hour during an exclusive window for Irish-based people last Friday.

Asked about The R&A’s position on ticket prices for The Open, Darbon said: “Look, it's a significant commitment of ours to try and ensure that The Open remains just that, open and accessible to a broad audience. Again, there are some commercial realities, right? The cost base of staging these things has grown significantly in recent years; that is undeniable. We have this unique challenge of ensuring that our championship remains open and accessible while also needing to be thoughtful about the revenue and profit that it generates so we can reinvest that back into the game.

“I think we've managed that balance appropriately in terms of taking some price increases where we've needed to but in a very measured fashion. One of the reasons we've done that is to maintain our commitment to some initiatives that are incredibly important to us. We still allow free attendance for under 16s at our championship. We still offer significant discounts for young people aged 17 to 24.

“If you look around the sports industry - not just golf, but more broadly - there are very few major events that are doing that, and it's something we're incredibly proud of, and it's something that's really important to us. We'll strive to maintain that balance between affordability and the commercial reality.

“At the same time, I think it's important to not just talk about price, but to talk about value. So we pride ourselves on delivering an experience that is wonderful for the people that come through the gates to watch our championship. It's one of the reasons we're continuing to invest in these propositions to add and enhance to the event week to ensure that we maintain value for all of the stakeholders that we welcome.”

Birkdale course has three new holes since 2017

For the event’s first visit to Birkdale since Jordan Spieth, the game’s dominant force at the time, triumphed in 2017, numerous changes have been made to the course. These include a new fifth hole being created on the same footprint, what was the 15th hole now being the 14th but also effectively a new hole and a brand-new par-3 15th being built as well. Stretching to 7,223 yards, it will be 67 yards longer than nine years ago.

“We've had great feedback from the membership and from the club based on the changes that have been made. That's always a good sign,” said Darbon. “We're excited because the changes are freeing up some of the pinch points that we've had in the past. They enable us to think slightly differently about the infrastructure we deploy to underpin this championship. I would say it's excitement, and we're looking forward to hearing feedback from the players when they arrive or when they practice here in advance of the championship.”