A PORTRUSH TO SEE RORY

MCILROY MANIA is set to hit the sold-out Open at Royal Portrush - with record crowds for the biggest sporting event in Northern Ireland's history.

- NEIL McLEMAN

All 278,00 tickets have been sold after more than one million people entered the public ballot for the 153rd Open.

It will be the largest attendance for an Open after the 290,000 who attended the 2022 event at St Andrews. The Open last visited Portrush in 2019, when 237,750 golf fans poured in to watch.

R&A chief executive Mark Darbon is delighted by the increase and Rory McIlroy's Masters triumph. "We have huge demand for the Open Championship, something we're very proud of," he said.

"Mcllroy's win is brilliant for the sport of golf, not just our own championship. It was an amazing, emotional win and we're delighted to see Rory Mcllroy's name in the history books.