For Immediate Publication

ADDITIONAL TICKETS TO GO ON SALE FOR THE 148TH OPEN FOLLOWING INCREASE TO CHAMPIONSHIP DAY CAPACITY

2 April 2019, Portrush, Northern Ireland: Additional tickets will go on sale for The 148th Open at Royal Portrush on 15 April, after The R&A extended the capacity of the venue on all four Championship Days to cater for the huge demand among fans to attend the event’s historic return to Northern Ireland.

Tickets for Championship Days sold out in record time last year, prompting The R&A to explore increasing the capacity at Royal Portrush.

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “From the moment tickets and hospitality packages went on sale last year it was clear that there was huge demand from fans to attend this historic occasion.

“We have been working closely with the government agencies, our advisers and contractors to assess whether we could accommodate some more fans on each day of the Championship and have decided that we can do so without impacting on the outstanding spectator experience we provide.

“We are delighted to be able to offer more fans the opportunity to book their place at Royal Portrush by releasing additional tickets and introducing two new hospitality experiences, which will enhance even further what will be a fantastic atmosphere in July.”

There is still time for fans to join the waiting list and sign up to The One Club for free in order to gain priority access to the additional tickets by registering via TheOpen.com/Tickets.

Fans who have signed up will receive an email from The R&A with instructions on how to purchase tickets before they go on sale on 15 April.

The R&A has also been able to introduce two new world-class hospitality packages at Faulkner’s Place and The Dunluce Pavilion, both of which are available to purchase now via TheOpen.com/Hospitality

Fans are advised that purchasing tickets and hospitality for The 148th Open can only be purchased through The Open’s official channels and verified partners. Fans who use a ticket purchased on their behalf by an unofficial supplier or third-party reseller risk being denied entry to the course.

John McGrillen, Chief Executive of Tourism NI, said, “We very much welcome this announcement and it is evident from the Championship’s record-breaking sell-out of tickets to date that there is great excitement for its return to Northern Ireland for the first time in almost 70 years.

“This increase in capacity will give even more people an opportunity to visit our shores and with tens of thousands of spectators and visitors from across the world expected to be in attendance, it is shaping up to be the biggest event ever held here

“We’re working with our partners at The R&A, the Council and many other agencies, to deliver a fantastic event in July and we can’t wait to show our local, national and international visitors the best of NI and the legacy it will leave for golf, sport and tourism here.” Ends.

Notes to Editors:

The Open

The 148th Open will be played at Royal Portrush from 14-21 July 2019.

The Open is golf’s original championship. Played since 1860 on iconic links golf courses, it is the sport’s most international Major Championship with qualifying events on every continent. For one week each year, the pursuit of the famous Claret Jug trophy is the focus of the sporting world, followed globally by millions of fans

Staged by The R&A, The Open delivers an annual economic benefit of up to £100 million to its host region, while the Championship’s commercial success supports the development of the game, worldwide.

Further information:

The R&A - Corporate Communications

+44 (0) 1334 460000 [email protected]

14 – 21 JULY 2019

OFFICIAL CARD OF THE COURSE

Hole Yards Par Hole Yards Par 1 421 4 10 447 4 2 574 5 11 474 4 3 177 3 12 532 5 4 482 4 13 194 3 5 374 4 14 473 4 6 194 3 15 426 4 7 592 5 16 236 3 8 434 4 17 408 4 9 432 4 18 474 4 OUT 3,680 36 IN 3,664 35 OUT 3,680 36 TOTAL 7,344 71

N.B. Please note in 1951 the total yardage was 6,082

THE OPEN QUALIFYING SERIES

TOQS – AUSTRALIA Emirates Australian Open The Lakes, Sydney, Australia 15 -18 November 2018

Players Qualified 272 1st (-16) Abraham Ancer (Mexico) 277 2nd (-11) Dimitrios Papadatos (Australia) 278 3rd (-10) Jake McLeod (Australia)

TOQS – SOUTH AFRICA South African Open hosted by the City of Johannesburg Randpark, Johannesburg, South Africa 6-9 December 2018

Players Qualified 272 2nd (-12) Romain Langasque (France) 274 T3 (-10) Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) 274 T3 (-10) Oliver Wilson (England)

TOQS – SINGAPORE SMBC Singapore Open Serapong Course, Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore 17-20 January 2019

Players Qualified 266 1st (-18) (Thailand) 268 T2 (-16) Yoshinori Fujimoto (Japan) 275 T5 (-9) Doyeob Mun (Korea) 275 T5 (-9) (Thailand)

TOQS – USA Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard Bay Hill, Florida, USA 7-10 March 2019

Players Qualified 279 T3 (-9) Sungjae Im (Korea) 280 T6 (-8) Keith Mitchell (USA) 280 T6 (-8) Sung Kang (Korea)

TOQS – JAPAN The Royal Golf Club, Ibaraki, Japan 30 May–2 June 2019

Four qualifying places available to the leading four players (not otherwise exempt) who finish in the top 12 and ties.

TOQS – CANADA RBC Canadian Open Hamilton, Ancaster, Canada 6-9 June 2019

Three qualifying places available to the leading three players (not otherwise exempt) who finish in the top 10 and ties.

TOQS – KOREA KOLON Woo Jeong Hills Country Club, Cheonan, Korea 20-23 June 2019

Two places to the leading two players (not otherwise exempt) who finish in the top 8 and ties. TOQS – REGIONAL QUALIFYING

Alwoodley Frilford Heath – Red Course Sandy Lodge Berwick-upon-Tweed (Goswick) Kedleston Park West Lancashire Burhill – New Course Minchinhampton Wildernesse County Louth Northamptonshire County Fairhaven Panmure

24 June 2019 The number of places in to Final Qualifying will be determined once all competitors have teed off.

TOQS – SPAIN Andalucía Valderrama Masters Real Club Valderrama, Sotogrande, Spain 27-30 June 2019

Three qualifying places available to the leading three players (not otherwise exempt) who finish in the top 10 and ties.

TOQS – USA Rocket Mortgage Classic Detroit Golf Club, Michigan, USA 27-30 June 2019

Two qualifying places available to the leading two players (not otherwise exempt) who finish in the top 8 and ties.

TOQS – FINAL QUALIFYING Fairmont St Andrews, Notts (Hollinwell), Prince’s, St Annes Old Links 2 July 2019

Three qualifying places available at each venue.

TOQS – IRELAND Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Lahinch, County Clare, Ireland 4-7 July 2019

Three qualifying places available to the leading three players (not otherwise exempt) who finish in the top 10 and ties.

TOQS – SCOTLAND Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open The Renaissance Club, East Lothian, Scotland 11-14 July 2019

Three qualifying places available to the leading three players (not otherwise exempt) who finish in the top 10 and ties.

TOQS – USA John Deere Classic TPC Deere Run, Illinois, USA 11-14 July 2019

One qualifying place available to the leading player (not otherwise exempt) who finishes in the top 5 and ties.

NB: Any player who has qualified through The Open Qualifying Series is deemed an exempt player. In the event that that player subsequently fulfils other exemption categories those places in the starting field will be subject to Section F of The Open Entry Form (i.e. these places will be made available to the highest ranked players on OWGR). All Open Qualifying Series events are played over 72 holes with the exception of Regional Qualifying (18 holes) and Final Qualifying (36 holes).