Record crowd expected for 150th Open

The 150th Open Championship is set to attract a record crowd of 290,000 to St Andrews.

More than 1.3 million applications for tickets were received by the R&A, resulting in the highest-ever number of general admission tickets being issued to spectators.

The previous record attendance saw 239,000 fans witness Tiger Woods lift the Claret Jug for the first time at St Andrews in 2000.

R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said: “The 150th Open at St Andrews is going to be a momentous occasion for golf and this is clearly reflected in the extraordinary demand among fans to be part of this historic playing of the Championship.

“We very much appreciate their passion and enthusiasm for The Open and are delighted that we will set a new attendance record that far exceeds the previous best set in 2000.”