The Open at Troon is a 250,000 spectator sell-out
The popularity of The Open Championship continues to rocket as Royal Troon of Ayrshire, Scotland will host a completely sold-out crowd…
Royal Troon will welcome a quarter of a million spectators when The Open Championship returns to the Ayrshire links in July.
The week is already a sell-out three months out and the numbers represent a 44 per cent increase on the previous time Troon was the host venue in 2016.
Of the 250,000 spectators, 22,500 are under 25 while 13,000 under-16s will be attending free of charge.
There are also significant changes to the Old Course at Troon, with a total of almost 200 yards added thanks to nine new tees that are available for the first time.
It means that Royal Troon will stretch to 7,385 yards, not far short of The Open’s longest course which was Carnoustie in 2007, standing at 7,421 yards.
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An Open Championship sell-out, but what about the golf course?
Notable changes include the 6th – already the longest hole on the Open rota – being extended to 623 yards.
Two holes later comes the shortest hole on the rota – the famous Postage Stamp, which measures just 123 yards. And plans are in place to utilise a forward tee and a front pin position – weather permitting – to create a hole that plays at under 100 yards on one day of the championship.
Other notable changes, which have been implemented by architects Mackenzie Ebert, include 44 yards being added at the par-5 4th, which will also be played as more of a dogleg to the right, and a new tee at the short 5th, which is closer to the beach and brings into play the large right-hand bunker.
Just in case the treacherous 11th, where the tee shot is blind over gorse with the railway line running parallel to the fairway, was not already hard enough, a new back tee lengthens this par 4 to 498 yards.
The 17th, which would be the 3rd hole in the event of a play-off, now measures 242 yards from the back tee.
In total, the back nine is some 300 yards longer than the front nine. It also plays to a lower par of 35 compared to 36 and is largely into the prevailing wind at what is an out-and-back links.
The 152nd Open Championship takes place from Thursday, July 18 to Sunday, July 21.
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Dan Murphy
Dan loves links golf, which doesn't mean he is very good at it. He is a four-handicapper at Alwoodley. A qualified journalist and senior editor with 25 years’ experience, he was the long-time editor of NCG. His passion is golf courses and he is the founding editor of NCG Top 100s course rankings. He loves nothing more than discovering and highlighting courses that are worthy of greater recognition.
