The Open golf spectacle saw £187m boost to local economy - report

The 151st Open attracted 261,180 fans to Hoylake, The R&A said

The celebrated Open golf tournament generated more than £187m for Wirral and the Liverpool city region, a study has found.

The annual spectacle was held at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake in July 2023.

An independent study into the event, which attracted 261,180 fans, was commissioned by golf governing body The R&A.

Mayor Steve Rotheram said it was "a massive success" for the local economy.

"The Open is one of the sporting world's crown jewels and to have the opportunity to play host to it not just once but twice in the space of three years is an incredible achievement for our area," he said.

"The figures speak for themselves - The 151st Open was a massive success for our visitor economy.

"The fact we attracted record crowds to Royal Liverpool is testament, not only to the quality of our region's courses, but to the infrastructure we offer and the warm welcome we gave to visitors from around the world."

"We know that when people visit our region, whether it's their first time or not, I can guarantee it won't be their last."

The golf tournament was held at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake

The 151st Open attracted 261,180 fans to Hoylake, making it the second highest attended Open in history, behind only the 150th event in St Andrews in 2022.

It provided a total economic impact of £43.19m to Wirral and the wider Liverpool City Region, a study by Sheffield Hallam University's Sport Industry Research Centre (SIRC) found.

And independent research led by YouGov Sport showed a £144m "destination marketing benefit" for Liverpool, The R&A said.

Martin Slumbers, CEO of The R&A, said "tens of thousands" of fans had travelled "from far and wide" and "tens of millions more watching on television or digital platforms worldwide".

"The Open continues to flourish and has an outstanding track record of injecting significant additional expenditure into communities and local businesses as well as showcasing the region in which it is held to a global audience," he said.

Prof Simon Shibli, director of sport industry research at Sheffield Hallam University, said: "Advances in working collaboratively with local partners, innovations in ticketing, and increased public demand for watching live golf have all contributed to The Open's significant growth in economic value over time."