R&A CEO downplays Rory McIlroy's Masters triumph as the reason behind increase in expected crowd at The Open

Modified Apr 23, 2025 21:23 GMT

Rory McIlroy after winning the 2025 Masters [Image via IMAGN}

Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy has been the golfer to watch out for off late. In eight professional starts this season, McIlroy has registered three victories. His biggest win came two weeks ago when he won his first-ever Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club.

Since this victory, the golf world has been talking about McIlroy which led many to believe that he is the reason The Open is expecting an increase in crowd turnout. R&A CEO Mark Darbon said he expects 278,000 people to witness The Open from Thursday to Sunday.

When Darbon was asked if Rory McIlroy's Masters triumph was the reason behind the increase in expected crowd, the R&A CEO said (via ASAP Sport):

"I'm glad to say our planning extends beyond just the last couple of weeks, so it's a number we've been focused on for a good period of time now. We have huge demand for The Open Championship, something we're very proud of. I think we had just under 1.1 million applications for tickets last summer. We looked to increase the capacity from 2019. As I've said, we're up just over 40,000 since that event. So a long time in the planning, and we're excited to enable more people to come and watch what we think will be a brilliant championship."

You can check the video of McIlroy's triumph at the Masters below:

Rory McIlroy's association with The Open dates back to 2007 when he first played the tournament. Since then, McIlroy has played in 15 more Open Championships. His best performance at this Major came in 2014 when he managed to win the competition by beating Rickie Fowler and Sergio Garcia.

The R&A CEO also added Rory McIlroy has "unfinished business" at the 2025 Open Championship

The 2025 Open Championship will take place at Royal Portrush, which is located in Rory McIlroy's backyard - Northern Ireland. This mixed with McIlroy's ongoing form will make him a big favorite to clinch his second-ever Open Championship. In the same press conference as above, Mark Darbon spoke about McIlroy at The Open.

The R&A CEO said that McIlroy had "unfinished business" at the Royal Portrush. Darbon also spoke about writing to McIlroy and congratulating him for his triumph at Augusta. Darbon said (via ASAP Sport):

"I've written to him recently to congratulate him. It's been a real privilege as part of this role getting to meet some of the elite players in our game and I've spent a little bit of time with Rory over the last few months. We know he's super excited to return here; he has some unfinished business on this course, so he'll be very focused on performance, and we look forward to welcoming him."

The last time Rory McIlroy played at The Open was in 2024. In this edition of the Major, McIlroy missed the cut. It's worth noting that last year The Open was the only Major where the 35-year-old missed the cut. Hence, it will be worth seeing how he performs this year.

About the author

Varun is a Golf and WWE journalist for Sportskeeda with over 4 years of work experience in his bag. Currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he worked for many sites, including EssentiallySports, FanSided, Khel Now, Get Football, and a few others.

Varun is a fan of golfer Scottie Scheffler due to the latter’s mindset, and he admires Roman Reigns’ ability to keep moving forward in life regardless of any obstacles. As a purist golf fan, he would love to compete at the Masters if given the opportunity, but is also happy with LIV Golf driving more eyeballs towards the sport. If he could go back in time and be a manager for someone in the WWE, it would have been Big Show.

Varun’s mantra for writing factually correct feature articles is thorough verification. Another key element in his writing is staying updated with both sports through the official websites of pro wrestling and Golf. He has had the privilege of interviewing MMA legend Greg Jackson in his career so far.

Varun likes to spend his free time reading or writing poetry and fiction. He also plans to learn and play golf in his spare time.

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Edited by Varun Anand Bhat