As the countdown begins to The Open coming to Southport next year, figures released today revealed a new benchmark for attendance, broadcast viewership and digital engagement from this year’s tournament.
The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush delivered an unforgettable spectacle and captivated fans worldwide, whetting the appetite for an incredible event coming to Royal Birkdale in 2026.
A record 278,000 fans marked the highest ever attendance for The Open held outside of St Andrews, underlining again the immense passion that exists for golf throughout the island of Ireland.
For the first-time ever, all Practice Days were sold out with a record 90,000 fans attending while 19,000 children were able to enjoy The Open as part of the long-running Kids go Free initiative. More than 1.2 million applications were received for tickets in the ticket ballot.
The Open’s reach extended far beyond Royal Portrush to millions of TV viewers worldwide. In the UK, Sky Sports recorded its most-watched Open ever with 21.2 million viewer hours, representing a significant 36% year-on-year increase.
The final round marked Sky’s second-largest Sunday audience since 2021. In the USA, NBC/Peacock final round coverage averaged 4.1 million viewers, a 21% increase from 2024, and Sunday audience peaked at more than 6.1 million viewers. Overall, NBC Sports’ coverage was the most-watched since 2022.
Neil Armit, Chief Commercial Officer at The R&A said:
“The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush has truly set a new standard in attendance, TV viewership and digital engagement.
“The incredible support from the fans at The Open and those watching around the world combined with the outstanding performances on the course to create an atmosphere that will be remembered for years to come.
“These record-breaking figures are a testament to the enduring appeal of The Open and the passion of the fans for links golf at its finest. We are immensely proud of what we have achieved together with our partners.”
Digital platforms played an equally crucial role in the Championship’s success by connecting with fans in innovative and interactive ways.
TheOpen.com experienced record-breaking traffic achieving its most daily users and pageviews ever recorded with pageviews up 60% compared to 2024. The Featured Groups stream also hit all-time highs in watch time and weekend performance, contributing to the second-highest ever livestream views, up 15% from 2024.
The official Open App also saw its highest daily users ever, up 21%, with four days recording over 400,000 users. New features such as the lockscreen leaderboard and improved live stream access contributed to a significant 96% increase in average session duration.
Social media engagement soared, gaining nearly 400,000 new followers, a 178% increase from 2024, and generating over 436 million views across platforms. Key follower milestones were reached across all major platforms, including 795,000 on Instagram.
One Club presented by Mastercard, The R&A’s fan membership programme, now boasts just over two million members across 184 different countries with over 155,000 new members joining during the week – the best growth since 2022.
The ticket ballot for The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale has also seen the highest number of applications since 2022 for the Championship held at St Andrews.
A new chapter in Open history will be written when the world’s best golfers return to the historic Southport venue from 12th to 19th July, 2026.
Since first staging The Open in 1954, Royal Birkdale has been the most regular host of the Championship outside St Andrews – and demand for tickets is expected to be high for its return next year.
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