152nd Open Championship 2024 – Historic Holes and Record Attendance
The 152nd Open Championship in 2024 will showcase historic moments with the shortest and longest holes ever seen in its prestigious history. With a record-breaking attendance expected, top male golfers will face daunting challenges at Royal Troon, Ayrshire. Exciting competition awaits on the unique course layout that will test players’ skills to the limit.
The 152nd Open Championship this summer will feature both the shortest and longest holes in its history. The world’s best male golfers, from both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, will converge on Royal Troon, Ayrshire to conclude the 2024 major championship season from July 18-21.
The R&A has announced that two holes, over a four-hole stretch, will create history and influence the outcome of the coveted claret jug. The par-five sixth (Turnberry) will challenge the players’ power over 623 yards, an increase of 22 yards, which could divide the field and pose an intriguing strategic dilemma for the golfers on whether to attack the green in two or three strokes. Should the wind speeds reach 30 km/h into the players’ faces, they will face a daunting test of distance.
Soon after, the field will encounter the iconic Postage Stamp, a 123-yard test from the championship markers. However, the ever-erratic Scottish weather could further shorten the hole, which is protected by notoriously steep coffin bunkers on either side of the green, with a front pin only measuring 99 yards from the tee box. Shots missed to the left could force players into a sideways escape from the sand trap, given the dramatic slope of the green towards the right.
The R&A expects a record-breaking attendance of 250,000 spectators across the week, 77,000 more than the 2016 championship, which produced an unforgettable duel between Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson. This year’s championship will be the third-most attended in history, with 290,000 fans at the 150th Open in St. Andrews and 260,000 at Hoylake (Royal Liverpool) last year.
“It’s a clear sign of the size of The Open,” said Mike Woodcock, the R&A’s director of corporate communications, highlighting the 22,500 under-25 attendees and 13,000 part of the Kids Go Free initiative. “There has been a huge amount of work done to ensure the number we bring in is the number the golf course can accommodate, with free-flow pathways and spectator areas, as well as grandstand seating to accommodate the increased attendance.”
While Stenson posted a score of -20 eight years ago to win by three, the R&A remains comfortable allowing the conditions to dictate the scoring this summer.
🔗 Source
