The R&A has confirmed a handful of alterations to the Old Course at Royal Troon Golf Club for The 2024 Open Championship - including lengthening the par-5 sixth to over 600 yards.
Less than three months out from The 152nd Open Championship, R&A officials shared a few notable updates to the tournament and its operations when they met with a handful of publications at a media briefing at Royal Troon on Tuesday morning.
Among the shared points was the news that there would be nine new tees, an additional 195 yards worth of course for the players to face, and a significant increase in attendance compared to its previous running in 2016.
Back then, Henrik Stenson bested Phil Mickelson to become the first Scandinavian ever to win a men's Major on a layout that measured *just* 7,190 yards. In 2024 - in what is the 10th Open Championship held at Royal Troon - the Ayrshire course will be 7,385 yards long.
A healthy chunk of that will be taken up by the 623-yard par-5 sixth - the longest hole in Open Championship history and one of the longest holes in the world, period. To add balance, though, The R&A says it holds the possibility of creating the shortest hole in Open Championship history, too.
Just two holes later at the infamous 'Postage Stamp' - which recently saw its 'Coffin' bunker undergo renovation work to make it even tougher - forward tees and a front pin location could turn the eighth into a 99-yard hole. A similar picture to the 80-yard hole at LA Country Club in the 2023 US Open.
The eighth will house 1,500 spectators in an L-shaped grandstand, meanwhile, there will be 3,500 seated fans surrounding the 18th as part of the third-largest Open Championship attendance ever at 250,000. Only the 150th Open at St Andrews (290,000) and the 151st Open at Royal Liverpool (261,180) have held more people throughout the week, with the 2016 version hosting just 173,000.
Discussing the record numbers set to descend on Royal Troon this year, The R&A's director of communications, Mike Woodcock said: “It is a big increase and I think there’s been a huge amount done to try and make sure that the number we bring in is what the golf course can accommodate.
“There is a lot of space out there and we’ve done a lot of work on the throughflow, pathways, spectator areas etc. There’s been a lot of work done in the on-course areas to ensure that the fans can get around and enjoy good viewing areas.
"I think the viewing decks, grandstand seatings and so on that we’ve put in can accommodate it. I think you’ve seen at recent venues that the championship attendance has been increasing and, by and large, it has worked very well and I think it should be a great week here and a great atmosphere.”
The 152nd Open Championship is already a sell-out, although, tickets and hospitality packages remain available via the R&A's re-sale platform. One person who does not currently have a ticket is LIV Golf CEO, Greg Norman - the man who famously picked up in a playoff at Royal Troon in 1989 as Mark Calcavecchia won his only Major.
One reporter asked Woodcock if the Australian had purchased his own ticket for the world's oldest Major in July, just as he had done at the 2024 Masters.
Woodcock replied: “I don’t think there’s a G Norman and I think someone would have let me know if there was. Obviously, there’s still tickets available on the resale platform and hospitality packages as well.”
