How Much Do The Open Championship Tickets Cost?

Published on July 17, 2025 | Prices Last Reviewed for Freshness: November 2025
Written by Alec Pow - Economic & Pricing Investigator | Content Reviewed by CFA Alexander Popinker

Educational content; not financial advice. Prices are estimates; confirm current rates, fees, taxes, and terms with providers or official sources.

The Open Championship (often called the British Open) is golf’s original major. It began on 17 October 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland as a professional challenge created after the death of Allan Robertson to crown a new “Champion Golfer.” The early winner received a red leather Challenge Belt; from the 1870s the silver Claret Jug became the iconic prize. Stewardship later consolidated under The R&A, and the championship has grown into a global golf tournament drawing the world’s best pros and top amateurs through qualification.

Scale and spectator appetite have surged. Demand for Portrush 2025 topped 1.2 million ticket applications, and organizers are preparing for roughly 280,000 fans—more than double the 120,000 who attended Turnberry in 2009—driving transport, lodging, and event operations that affect what spectators ultimately pay to gain entry. The rotating “rota” of seaside links—St Andrews, Royal Birkdale, Royal Troon, Royal Portrush and others—means venue infrastructure shifts year to year, changing crowd capacity and on‑site services that fold into overall spectator expense.

Official Portrush ticket ladders create the baseline. Adult general admission spans £25 early‑week practice to £130 Final Sunday; youth (16–24) scale roughly half at £12.50–£65, and juniors under 16 are FREE with a booking adult. Mid‑tier Ticket Plus upgrades add a hosted base area and run £130–£345 depending on day. These published price bands frame your initial spectator budget, before travel, lodging, food, and platform fees.

Article Highlights

• Official adult GA ranges £25–£130 ($31-$160); youth half‑price; juniors FREE.
• Ticket Plus £130–£345 ($160 to $430) delivers reserved areas and comfort upgrades.
• Resale lows around £114–£191 jump to £1k+ for peak days; watch fees.
• Masters secondary tickets $1k–$2k+ show Open GA remains relatively affordable.
• PGA Championship after‑market $168–$381 grounds provides mid-tier benchmark.
• Portrush record crowd projections signal heavy demand—book early to manage budget.
• Digital ticket transfer limits reduce fraud but require proper assignment before entry.

How Much Do The Open Championship Tickets Cost?

We found that official general admission adult ticket prices for the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush run £25 practice Sunday rising to £130 Championship Sunday, with youth (16–24) scaled at roughly half that cost and juniors under 16 admitted FREE when included in the booking. That sliding price range lets fans shape their budget by day; early-week scouting is far cheaper than final-round drama. For quick U.S. conversions using 2025 mid-year FX (~$1.35 per £1, give or take a few dollars), Championship Sunday grounds at £130 land near $175.

Upgrade demand concentrates in Ticket Plus, which adds a reserved base area, seating, large screens, and access to premium food purchase points. Those passes price at £130 (Wed) up to £345 (Sun), roughly $175–$465 at mid-2025 exchange rates, and represent the middle rung between bare-bones entry and full hospitality. Buyers choosing upgrades often cite value in stable sightlines and weather cover across long tournament days.

Secondary listings widen the ceiling. Aggregators show starting ticket cost offers from about £114–£191 across resale platforms during the week, while some late-demand and premium inventory has listed at four-figure levels. Currency mix matters because many resale sites denominate in euros or dollars; always check the actual amount before you pay to avoid FX slippage and platform fees.

According to Goal.com, General Admission tickets range from £100 to £130 for adults (around $125 to $160 depending on exchange rates) and £50 to £65 (about $62 to $80) for youth aged 16–24. Prices vary by day, with Thursday tickets starting at around $125 and Sunday Finals tickets costing up to $160 for adults. Youth tickets are approximately half that price. Hospitality packages for premium viewing start around £285 ($355) on Thursday and can go higher on subsequent days.

The official The Open website confirms this range, with practice days priced much lower (£25 or about $30 for adults) and most junior tickets free. Ticket Plus options, which include premium seating and hospitality, are priced between £130 and £345 ($160 to $430) for the days of the main tournament.

Secondary market platforms such as Vivid Seats list resale tickets for The Open Championship, with prices starting at around $250 for single-day tickets and averaging around $1,500 for sought-after rounds like the final day. Prices can spike significantly closer to the event.

Topend Sports summarizes that while face-value General Admission tickets are quite affordable, scarcity and demand cause resale ticket prices to rise steeply, often doubling or tripling face values, especially for weekend rounds.

Table 1. 153rd Open Championship 2025 – Official & Indicative Resale Ticket Ranges

*Resale low snapshots from multi-platform feeds; live listings fluctuate. prce—sorry, price swings are common. Source here.

Real-Life Cost Examples

Scenario 1: Solo fan on a strict budget chooses mid-week general admission to watch practice and early round play. Booking £55 Wednesday plus £100 Thursday yields £155 in base ticket cost; add app transfer fee and local transport and the all-in amount lands under many single-day hospitality rates. Youth pricing cuts that nearly in half for students who buy tickets early.

Scenario 2: Couple opts for a premium experience Saturday. Two Ticket Plus passes at £325 each total £650 before platform charges. Using mid-2025 FX that is roughly $878. Food and beverage remain pay-as-you-go, so plan an added spend line. Buyers highlight the value of seating and on-screen coverage when groups split to follow different players across the golf event day.

Also read about the cost of tickets for Indy 500, Wimbledon, or World Series.

Scenario 3: Family of four (two adults, two juniors under 16) attends Championship Friday. Official entry pass math: £110 + £110 + FREE + FREE equals £220 before optional Park & Ride, merchandise, or meal expense. Digital delivery and junior-free policy reduce the per-person cost profile versus other majors that charge child rates.

Scenario 4: Late decision traveler misses official purchase windows and turns to the resale market. Listings surfaced at £114 (StubHub low), £118 (Viagogo low), and £191 (Vivid Seats low snapshot), but final-day inventory has climbed past the high hundreds and into four digits in prior cycles. Add platform ticketing fees and currency conversion at checkout to calculate the true amount you will pay.

Cost Breakdown

Face-value ticket ladders from The R&A establish starting price by day and category. Practice days run £25–£55 adult while Championship days scale £100–£130 adult; youth discounts halve the cost; juniors enter FREE when booked. These numbers form the core entry fee before any upgrade.

Platform and processing fees hit next. Official digital delivery uses The Open Tickets App; transfers, lost-device recovery, and access rules can add administrative charge friction if you buy through third parties because tickets must be properly assigned before entry. Secondary platforms layer service fees at checkout that meaningfully increase the amount you pay above list.

Upgrade tiers such as Ticket Plus add reserved space value. Pricing spans £130–£345 through the week; compared with GA, that delta represents the premium for seating, covered areas, and comfort near key holes. Full hospitality sold via authorized providers (packages frequently $250 to $2,450+ per day depending on level) bundles food, drinks, and transport, shifting spend from on-site à la carte to pre-packaged purchase.

Ancillary add-ons complete the total. Park & Ride, merchandise, score guides, and food packages each stack incremental expense onto your ticket cost; large crowds (Portrush forecasts 278,000 fans) drive queue time, which nudges many toward prepaid hospitality to cap day-of spend. Build these extras into your budget when deciding which pass to book.

Factors Influencing The Cost

Demand spikes for marquee rounds, especially the final two tournament days, push both official sell-through speed and resale market escalation. Historic Portrush appetite and record projected crowds illustrate how intensity of interest can lift secondary ticket prices well beyond face cost for scarce entry.

Seasonality and access programs matter. Fans who secure early bird ballot allocations or One Club opportunities often lock the lowest price, while late buyers face dynamic cost range swings. The Open’s digital system restricts uncontrolled transfer, tempering scalper activity but not eliminating premium-day markups when supply tightens.

Venue rotation affects lodging and transport expense layered onto the base ticket. Royal Portrush draws international travel that magnifies total amount spent; authorized travel providers package hotel nights plus passes to simplify purchase. Venue remoteness and limited local capacity tend to lift all-in event cost compared with metropolitan stops.

Macro pricing context comes from other majors. Masters practice days have listed from $1,061 with tournament rounds cresting $2,201–$2,299 on the secondary market; PGA Championship after‑market daily grounds ran $168–$306 with premium Club PGA offers far higher. These benchmarks shape perceived value and influence what fans will pay for The Open.

Alternative Products Or Services: Comparing The Open To Other Golf Spectator Options

Other golf championship experiences benchmark The Open’s ticket cost landscape. Masters access is famously constrained; 2025 secondary listings running into the $1,900–$2,299 tournament-day band dwarf The Open’s GA price range, though lottery winners pay far less at face value. PGA Championship demand sits between, with after‑market ticket prices spanning $168–$381 for grounds and Championship+ inclusive food access.

Fans seeking lower spend may target regional tournaments or package deals. Golfbreaks programs combine lodging, transport, and guaranteed Open passes, an approach that can stabilize the final amount compared with piecemeal purchase on resale exchanges. Travelers who prize the live experience but guard budget often weigh a practice‑day Open visit against TV for the weekend, or opt for streaming plus future ticket ballots.

Hospitality and local fan zones offer another path. Some spectators choose remote viewing suites or authorized hospitality villages at price points below elite corporate chalets yet above GA; these blend comfort and access without full high-end fee load. When official inventory dries up, secondary sites fill gaps but add platform charge and risk if transfer rules are not met in the official app.

Television and digital subscriptions remain the lowest cost route to follow every shot. That said, record attendance forecasts show hundreds of thousands still buy tickets for on-site energy each year. Factor travel, lodging, and meals into any comparison to get a real‑world value read against staying home.

Answers to Common Questions

Can I transfer my Open Championship digital ticket to a friend if plans change?
Yes. Use The Open Tickets App transfer function; public tickets typically allow one onward transfer from the original purchaser, and transfers must occur before scanning at the gate. The Open

Are juniors really free at The Open, and do they need their own ticket?
Juniors under 16 receive free admission when included at the time of booking and accompanied by an adult; they still require a ticket allocation for entry control.

What extra fees should I expect beyond the ticket price when buying through resale platforms?
Service charges, currency conversion spreads, shipping or delivery fees, and tax where applicable can raise the total you pay well above the listed ticket amount on marketplaces such as Vivid Seats or StubHub.

Is hospitality worth the higher cost compared with Ticket Plus?
Hospitality packages can exceed $2,450 per day but fold in food, beverages, and hosted areas; if you plan to spend heavily on-site anyway, bundling may control total event expense relative to à la carte purchases.

How do Open Championship ticket prices compare with the Masters and PGA Championship?
Masters tournament-day secondary prices have topped $2,201–$2,299, while PGA Championship after‑market daily grounds have ranged $168–$381; The Open’s official GA caps at £130 (~$175), making it a relative value at face, though resale premiums can narrow the gap.

Expert Credits (embedded above): Pricing and youth policy data from The R&A; travel and package insights from Golfbreaks Tournaments Manager Dolores Brown; market spread snapshots from Goal’s Rob Norcup and Vivid Seats marketplace analytics; macro comparison from GOLF.com reporting by Jessica Marksbury and Josh Berhow. Sources cited inline.