During the month of July I was given the opportunity to work with IMG Golf at the 143rd Open Championship held at Royal Liverpool Golf Course in Hoylake. IMG has consistently managed the world’s best golfers, both male and female, who have won over 131 majors between them. Corporations pair up with IMG to connect with golf’s highly desirable demographics through sponsorship and events so I saw this as a fantastic opportunity to develop my skills at an incredible sporting venue.

Week One

Since I have experience in working with merchandise and being involved with major events including the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, I was given the role of The Open Championship Merchandise Tent Till Supervisor for the actual championship week but at this stage, we still had a long way to go before the merchandise tent could officially open.

Walking out onto the hallowed fairways and greens of the Royal Liverpool was an unbelievable experience but I was also focussed on working and learning the skills of event management.

Throughout my First week of work, I was counting stock and taking deliveries for many organisations such as Ralph Lauren, Rolex, and Level 4 Golf Limited. It was a long process because we had to make sure that all of the stock was accounted for but it was an interesting to find out what sort of items they would be selling.

Week Two

During this week, I was involved with advertising and PR for the Championship taking place the following week. The famous Claret Jug trophy was displayed at Liverpool One Shopping Centre to celebrate the return of golf’s oldest Major Championship to the region.

The event featured PGA professionals giving lessons, bunker and putting challenges. It also gave golfing fans the opportunity to have their photo taken with the Claret Jug.

There was a large screen showing highlights of past Open Championships and I was also involved with ticket and merchandise sales.

Week Three

In my final week of working with IMG Golf, the main spectacle arrived at Hoylake and as the 143rd Open Championship was about to commence, I met some interesting people who had travelled from all over the world for this annual golfing event.

I met people from the USA and Asia who had attended all of the majors of this year’s golfing calendar such as the Augusta Masters and the Scottish Open. These interesting people were keen to share their fascinating stories of how their love of the sport had inspired them to travel the world to watch their favourite golfers.

This made me think about how inspirational sport is to people and how I really want to be a part of this industry. While working at the Open Championship I had the honour of being interviewed for North West tonight, evaluating the financial Impact of staging the championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Course at Hoylake. I was able to evaluate the local area and determined how this event would influence other events being staged here.

I witnessed some fantastic golfing moments, including being present at Rory Mcilroy’s Award Presentation and watching him lift the Claret Jug. Working at this global event was a truly fantastic experience and I feel that I am returning to UCFB to begin my final year of study with some new skills, experience and valuable contacts.

I am currently planning to continue working with IMG Golf after my final year at UCFB and I am looking forward to potentially being involved in the 144th Open Championship in 2015 at St Andrews.

Written By Robert O’Hara – Football Business & Media student at UCFB