Open tees up cash boost as 600 million set to watch golf
Championship to attract worldwide TV audience
A GLOBAL a ud i e nc e of 600 million will follow the world’s best golfers as they vie for a bolstered Open cheque of more than £1 million for the first time in the tournament’s history.
More than 200,000 golf fans are set to descend on Scotland, the Home of Golf, this week as one of the world’s most prestigious championships returns to the Old Course at St Andrews .
The 144th Open is also predicted to boost the country’s economy by more than £100 million.
The Open, the largest of Scotland’s summer golf events and the biggest event of any kind held in Scotland on a regular basis, will draw star players such as Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth, Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia.
They will bid for a cheque for £1,150,000, up £175,000 on the prize at Hoylake last year. This makes the Open championship the most lucrative major on the rota by £10,000, with the Masters, the US Open and the US PGA all boasting a first prize of £1,140,000.
VisitScotland, an associate of the Championship, believes The Open plays a crucial role in helping bring golf enthusiasts to Scotland.
A survey conducted after The 2010 Open at St Andrews found that two of every three spectators from outside the UK were visiting the historic course for the first time, and it is claimed this illustrates the huge appeal of The Open as a major international sporting event and St Andrews as a visitor destination.
Mike Cantlay, chairman of VisitScotland, said: “Excitement has been building for months as we prepare to welcome hundreds of thousands of spectators, the world’s greatest golfers and global media to St Andrews for the Open.
“These visitors, whether here for the day or for longer, help contribute to Scotland’s economy by staying in hotels, using restaurants, drinking in bars or shopping in retail outlets. Scotland is the undisputed Home of Golf, and The Open is the jewel in the crown of what is a truly unmissable summer for the sport.
“From the Ryder Cup last year, to the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Gullane Golf Club last weekend, the world continues to marvel at Scotland’s stunning beauty and our unbeatable reputation for hosting the biggest and best events in the game.
“The Open will once again show that there is no finer place for a golf break than the country that gave golf to the world.”
Home to more courses per head of population than anywhere else in the world, golf tourism is estimated to be worth £220m to the Scottish economy and supports about 4,400 jobs. For every £1 a visiting golfer spends on green fees, a further £5 is spent on extras such as food and drink and entertainment.
Several accommodation providers in St Andrews and the surrounding areas are reported to be full over the duration of The Championship, while local visitor attractions, eateries and shops are also expected to be busier.
The Open is the world’s oldest and most prestigious professional golf tournament, and 2015 marks the 29th time the Old Course has hosted the Championship.
Visitors have had a chance to catch some of the world’s top players in practice since Sunday on the Old Course.
One of the leading contenders is 21-year-old American Speith, who is the world’s number two player and winner of the Masters tournament at Augusta.
However, spectators have been denied a fascinating duel with top-ranked Rory McIlroy after the Ulsterman was forced to pull out when ruptured left ankle ligaments while playing football.
‘‘ The Open will again show there is no finer place for a golf break than the country that gave golf to the world