Royal Portrush seals its long-term place on Open roster

CROWD PLEASER: Shane Lowry walks to the 18th during the 153rd Open Championship, Royal Portrush Golf Club, Co. Antrim. Pic: INPHO/Ben Brady

The mini-bus had just pulled away from the course on Saturday evening when an American voice summed up her group’s day. “Glad to have seen and done that,” she said, “but golf really is a TV sport.” 

The visitors from across The Pond had come to a realization that millions before her had landed on down the years, but the demand for up close and personal experiences when it comes to the game’s world-class players remains stratospheric.

Somewhere in the region of 280,000 people walked the ground of the Dunluce Course, queued for the hangar-sized merchandise store, and ate and drank from the dozens of concession stands over the span of seven days.

It’s a record crowd for a Championship outside of St Andrews and that alone explains why the tournament was back in Antrim after just six years and why R&A chief executive Mark Darbon predicted it would again for years to come.

Money talks.

The course stood up too, even in weekend conditions that were far kinder than predicted, thanks to a track that Jon Rahm among others described as hard but fair. Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau’s 64s were the lowest totals all week.

“It was amazing,” said the American Chris Gotterup who finished third a week after his win in Scotland. “I was saying all week I felt like here they have a really good understanding of what's going on and the golf that's being played.”