Archive of posts tagged Ireland

Figures prove that Portrush was a triumph

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Antrim coast

The 153rd edition of The Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club (July 17-20, 2025) set a new standard in attendance, television viewership, and digital engagement, as the tournament's return six years after Irishman Shane Lowry's success on the iconic Antrim coast provided an unforgettable spectacle that captivated fans worldwide.

A record 278,000 fans marked the highest attendance ever recorded for The Open, with the exception of St Andrews, once again highlighting the immense passion that exists for golf in Ireland. For the first time, all practice days were sold out with a record 90,000 fans in attendance, while 19,000 children were able to enjoy The Open as part of the Kids go Free initiative. More than 1.2 million applications were received for the ticket draw.

Portrush, results

The Open's reach extended well beyond Royal Portrush, reaching millions of viewers worldwide. In the UK, Sky Sports recorded its most-watched Open ever with 21.2 million hours watched, representing a significant 36% increase over the previous year. The final round marked Sky's second-largest Sunday audience since 2021. In the US, NBC/Peacock's coverage of the final averaged 4.1 million viewers, a 21% increase over 2024, and Sunday's audience reached over 6.1 million viewers. Overall, NBC Sports' coverage was its most-watched since 2022.

These record-breaking figures are a testament to the enduring appeal of The Open and fans' passion for the links. “The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush truly set a new standard for attendance, television audiences, and digital engagement,” said Neil Armit, Chief Commercial Officer of the R&A. “The incredible support from fans at The Open and those watching around the world, combined with the exceptional performances on the course, created an atmosphere that will be remembered for years to come. These record-breaking numbers are a testament to the enduring appeal of The Open and the fans’ passion for the links. We are immensely proud of what we have achieved together with our partners.”

Digital platforms played an equally crucial role in the tournament’s success by connecting with fans in innovative and interactive ways. TheOpen.com experienced record traffic, reaching its highest number of users and page views in a single day, with a 60% increase in page views compared to 2024. The Featured Groups stream also reached all-time highs in watch time and weekend performance, contributing to the second-highest live stream views ever, up 15% compared to 2024.

The official app also saw its highest daily user count ever, up 21%, with four days recording over 400,000 users. New features such as the lock screen leaderboard and improved access to live streaming contributed to a significant 96% increase in average session duration.

Social media engagement exploded, with nearly 400,000 new followers, a 178% increase over 2024, and generated over 436 million views across platforms. Key follower milestones were reached across all major platforms, including 795,000 on Instagram.

The launch of ticket sales for the 154th The Open at Royal Birkdale also saw the highest number of requests since 2022 for the 150th edition, which was then held at St Andrews.

Joaquin Niemann shares insights on Tom McKibbin’s game

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confident player

Joaquin Niemann is, for many, the main face of LIV Golf. After a great round at LIV Golf UK, where he holds the lead by six shots, Niemann received some interesting questions from reporters.

In addition to Niemann, LIV Golf consists of many quality golfers, with Tom McKibbin being one of them. 

The Northern Irish golfer did not cause positive reactions in the public by joining the Saudi-backed Tour. Despite this, the young golfer took an unpopular path, wanting to build a story in a slightly different way. 

There are many who believe that McKibbin is one of the greatest potentials on the golf scene. 

After the end of the second round, Niemann answered the reporter's question about what impresses him the most about the Northern Irish golfer. 

Niemann is convinced that McKibbin can write history at LIV Golf, although he wasn't as dominant as expected.

"Yeah, it was the first time that I played with Tom since he joined. I never played with him.

I enjoyed playing with him. I think he's a great golfer. Obviously he's had the results before. He was in the top 10 on DP World. He probably hasn't had the results he wants to on LIV so far, but I think he's going to be all right. He's really young. You can tell coming from Ireland, I think they build pretty good golfers there, and the way he controls the ball into the wind and his short game, yeah, he's going to be great.

It was good fun playing with him, and you can tell he's a confident player."- he said.

Tom McKibbin's path

It is difficult to give the right answer in which direction Tom McKibbin's career will go, but it is clear that he has a strong potential to do great things on the golf scene in the future.

Experience will certainly be the key to his success in the future, no doubt.