The Open championship came to Royal Portrush in July, providing a real challenge for top golfers from around the world. The coverage from U105 and TalkSport Ireland generated a whopping 1.2 million views and showcased the beauty of the North Coast.
With the biggest championship in golf gracing the stage in Northern Ireland, anticipation was high amongst golf fans across the country. With high hopes of Rory McIlroy lifting the Claret Jug, there was a thirst for updates, stories and news from the tournament and U105 and TalkSport Ireland were happy to oblige.
Practice rounds for the tournament kicked off on Monday, and so did the content for the tournament. With guidance from TalkSport Ireland, a sneak preview of the course was filmed prior to the competition and it allowed fans to get an in-depth look at some of the toughest holes on the course with an interview from Head Professional of Royal Portrush, Gary McNeill.
As the week progressed, the atmosphere around Portrush was electric, with fans from all around the world not only attending the tournament, but also engaging with the small town of Portrush. TalkSport Ireland and U105 spoke to fans on their way to the tournament, finding out their favourites to win and who would be in their dream fourball. U105 also did on-air check-ins from the media centre and provided coverage for Q102’s Dublin Sport Today show.
The connection to the town didn’t just stop with the fans, U105 held an outside broadcast in Portrush town, chatting to local vendors, politicians and townspeople on the impressive impact that the tournament had made to local tourism, even sampling the local ‘Golf’ flavoured Ice Cream on air. U105’s U Crew were also on the go in Portrush town handing out goody bags and doing vox-pops along the way.
Digitally, U105 and TalkSport Ireland were at the forefront with scoring and tee-time news. They provided updated scoreboards everyday and honed in on any score changes from Rory McIlroy as he made his charge up the leaderboard on Saturday. Tee-times for all Irish players were also provided each day, including practice days and allowed for fans to support team Ireland across the tournament.
After a tremendous effort all week came the final day and the course had never been busier. Streams of people followed Rory and Scottie Scheffler across their final few holes and the team was following the trail. With footage of Rory’s final putt garnering over 209,000 views and the swift coverage of the winner being posted within one minute of the final putt, the tournament had come to a close and so did the hard work of all the teams involved in this project.
The moment Rory finished his Round at The Open.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/777525461431997
Player Matt Wallace gives young fan a ball on the 11th Hole.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1441356483871560/
Irish and Northern Irish Tee Times Day 2.
https://www.facebook.com/U105NIWireless/posts/pfbid02MXZkWKvCsywrm6YpjcW9o6vr2bEH4K2dgRmkAaCAHxbnCStGp29k18aSzd1yfHHVl
The U Crew talking to people in Portrush about the atmosphere.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=727449206681235
Fans give their longshot to win the tournament.
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