30 March 2017, St Andrews, Scotland: The Open has teamed up with The Randox Health Grand National ahead of the 146th staging of the Championship at Royal Birkdale this July.
The Open
The Open is golf’s original championship. Played since 1860 on iconic links golf courses, it is the sport’s most international major championship with qualifying events on every continent. For one week each year, the pursuit of the famous Claret Jug trophy is the focus of the sporting world, followed globally by millions of fans.
Organised by The R&A, The Open delivers an annual economic benefit of up to £100 million to its Host Region, while the Championship’s commercial success supports the development of the sport, worldwide.
The Partnership
The partnership will see The Open and The Randox Health Grand National work together on providing engaging content for fans over the coming months in the build-up to two of the world’s greatest sporting events.
The agreement will give racing fans the chance to get up close to the Claret Jug as it visits Aintree Racecourse on Saturday 8 April for the world’s greatest steeplechase.
There will also be exclusive offers to fans who plan to attend The Open, which will bring the world’s best golfers to the North West from 16-23 July, 2017.
Fans of The Open will also have the opportunity to secure their place at the Randox Health Grand National Festival 2018 following this year’s sell-out event.
Neil Armit, Chief Commercial Officer of The R&A, organisers of The Open, said, “We are looking forward to working with the Grand National to help promote The 146th Open ahead of the tenth staging of the Championship at the historic links of Royal Birkdale. We know that fans in Merseyside and the wider North West region are eagerly anticipating these two iconic events in 2017.”
Mike Sarath, Head of Marketing for Jockey Club Racecourses North West, said, “With two world class sporting events taking place just a few miles apart this year, it made perfect sense to partner with The R&A. We are looking forward to helping promote The Open at The Randox Health Grand National and promoting our event at Royal Birkdale with exclusive ticket access to both sets of fans.”
The 146th Open will be played at Royal Birkdale from 16-23 July 2017.