Biggest winner at Open will be image of Northern Ireland

Today, potentially the greatest marketing boost Northern Ireland has ever achieved takes place on the Royal Portrush golf course, when the world’s elite players tee off in pursuit of the most historic prize in the sport, the Open championship.

Even at its original projection of £80m — although a new report says the benefit could be closer to £120m — the economic windfall dwarfs any previous event.

With 237,750 spectators expected at the course over the four days of the tournament — just below the all-time attendance record — there is an immediate boost to the local economy through expenditure in restaurants, B&Bs, hotels, transport and merchandising.

But it is the image of Northern Ireland which will be screened to 85 million people worldwide that could prove to be the really lucrative legacy.

This is an unprecedented opportunity to market not just Portrush but the entire province to a global audience. The golf is taking place on a breathtaking course, with views that many other major venues would kill for.

But to maximise the potential of this week requires a cohesive effort by all the stakeholders in making Northern Ireland a must-visit destination. And that begins with a functioning devolved administration and includes other bodies such as Tourism Ireland, local authorities and the hospitality sector.

It should be remembered that former First and Deputy First Minister Peter Robinson, the late Martin McGuinness and the then Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment Arlene Foster lent their not inconsiderable influence to the initial drive to bring the Open back to Portrush after an absence of 68 years.

But there was also a huge input from the indefatigable

Wilma Erskine, the club’s secretary, who persuaded the European Tour, IMG and the Royal & Ancient to bring the Irish Open to the north west as a sign that the club could host a prestigious tournament. It sold out — the first regular European Tour event to do so — and that was a powerful lever in pressing for the Open itself to be given to Portrush.

Anyone who has visited the town and course in recent days cannot help but be impressed by the scale of the effort in hosting the tournament. It is quite literally the only show in town and much further afield.

Given the length of time since the Open was last staged at Portrush, this event has an added novelty value.

Of course, fans will always visit or tune in to the tournament, no matter where it is staged, but there is bound to be additional interest in a place less well-known on a global stage.

It is that level of interest which Northern Ireland must tap into in the years ahead, starting when the last ball is struck on Sunday evening.

The province has many very fine golf courses and, naturally, there will be huge demand to play the Royal Portrush links where Tiger, Rory and all the other greats will tread over these four days.

The course has been reconstructed in part and mothballed to ensure it is in pristine condition for the moment when former Open winner, Darren Clarke, strikes the first shot in the tournament this morning. That makes its allure to the world’s amateur players all the more intense.

And whoever lifts the old Claret Jug on Sunday evening, the real winner will be Royal Portrush Golf Club. It has already received the accolade it was hoping for above all when R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said he expects the venue to remain on the Open rota for many years to come.