Portrush ‘a game-changer’

Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) chief Alan Clarke has hailed the Irish Open at Royal Portrush as one of the most successful events ever staged in the north.

According to the tourism chief, record-breaking crowds, a superbly organised tournament and a rapturous Portrush welcome for the players was a game-changer in demonstrating the North’s ability to stage major sporting events and enhance its status within international golf tourism.

Golf tourism generates on average €20 million for Northern Ireland’s economy each year and as a result of the Irish Open it is expected to rise sharply.