LAHINCH will be a sell-out for the 51st Walker Cup which tees off in Co Clare next weekend with crowds of 16,000 expected.
Clare’s festival of golf commences on September 5th with the Walker Cup coming to Lahinch before Doonbeg plays host to The Irish Open.
All tickets for the 51st Walker Cup have sold out in advance of the international match being played between Great Britain and Ireland and the United States of America.
For the first time in the 104 history of the Walker Cup, the famed Lahinch links will host the encounter. The Walker Cup Match is a biennial ten-man amateur team competition between a team composed of players from Great Britain and Ireland and the USA. It is played over two days with 18 singles matches and eight foursomes matches. The USA leads the overall series 40-9-1.
Crowds of 8,000 are expected to attend each day in Lahinch to watch golf’s rising stars compete for the historic trophy. The attendance includes over 1,700 young people attending through The R&A’s successful ‘Kids Go Free’ initiative, which provides free entry for under-16s when accompanied by a paying adult.
The R&A is advising fans without tickets not to travel to the venue as they will not be able to purchase tickets on the gate for both days of the match. Fans unable to attend in person can watch all matches live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland and Golf Channel in the US.
Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, Chief Championships Officer at The R&A, said, “The interest from golf fans to attend the Walker Cup has been fantastic, resulting in all tickets for the match selling out. With the Walker Cup being played on the island of Ireland for the first time since 2007, we know there will be tremendous support for Great Britain and Ireland at Lahinch. Having a passionate home crowd following the players around the course and getting behind them will help create the special atmosphere which makes the Walker Cup so unique”.
He added, “We look forward to welcoming the fans who have secured tickets and seeing them play their part in what promises to be a memorable match”.
The Walker Cup Opening Ceremony will take place on the first tee at Lahinch at 5pm on Friday September 4th, subject to the weather, and fans can attend free of charge.
