Major championships typically draw massive crowds. Tons of people show up to see the best in the world compete against each other. After the perceived lackluster crowd at the Los Angeles Country Club for the U.S. Open, the Open Championship said hold my pint and watch this.
The crowds surrounding Rory McIlroy and Viktor Hovland during their practice round Wednesday looked like a typical tournament day.
There were so many people watching those two that someone who didn't know what day it was could think they were playing for the Claret Jug. Was this a photo from Sunday? No, it was Wednesday before the event even started.
CBS Sports’ Kyle Porter pointed out the difference between LACC and Hoylake.
There are more people following the Rory-Hovland-Fleetwood-Hatton group on Wednesday at Hoylake than there were on the entire grounds at LACC on Thursday and Friday combined. pic.twitter.com/jd4qfeR3SC
— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterCBS) July 19, 2023
From the photo, it's hard to see where the actual players are. The people at Royal Liverpool are excited about the Open Championship. They are excited to see if McIlroy can do it again. He was the last player to win at this venue back in 2014.
He hasn’t won a major since that year.
The crowds are there to show their support, as they should be.
These are national opens — the crowds should be large. The international fans prep for the week and know they'll get a great experience. It looks like they've been ready for a long time.
Meanwhile, people were referring to this year’s U.S. Open as the ‘Corporate Open.’ It was reported that of the 22,000 fans in attendance each day, 16,000 of them were hospitality. It appeared to a massive blown opportunity as the world finally got to see what the course in Beverly Hills looks like.
But the atmosphere appeared lackluster. That will certainly not the be the case for the 151st Open Championship this weekend.