Alliance says Irish Open is “brilliant news”

He said that hosting the competition is very significant to our tourism industry and economy as well as for sport in Northern Ireland.

Cllr Fitzpatrick said: “This is absolutely brilliant news for Northern Ireland. Golfers from Northern Ireland have had amazing success and this tournament is a testament to their achievements and to the hard work of all those involved in golf here.

“The benefits from an economic and tourism point of view are massive and having the opportunity to stage an event like this in Northern Ireland could help inspire more young people to take up the sport and could even help us find the next Rory McIlroy.

“This competition is a very lucrative venture and I hope that this is a sign for the future. We have the potential to hold many big golfing events here. We have the players, we have the courses and we have the hospitality to deliver excellent, world class tournaments and a brilliant tourist experience.”