'I think Open will return sooner than most think' : NI tourism chief
Mega successful sporting spectacle rakes in £20m to date
Tthe Open could make a spectacular return to Northern Ireland within SIX years.
That is the view of Tourism NI chief John McGrillen - one of the key driving forces behind this year's record-breaking spectacle in Portrush.
He said it is a 'given' golf's most prestigious tournament will be staged here again.
"There is no doubt about that fact - it's just a matter of when it will return and I think it will return sooner than most people think," he said.
Attracting nearly a quarter of a million spectators, the Open has been our biggest-ever sporting event.
Mr McGrillen said they were keen to replicate its success by 2025.
"The 150th in two years time will mean it will go to St Andrews - normally in 2025 it would go to St Andrews again because it typically goes there in a zero year," he said.
"But I would not be surprised if we were see it back here by 2025."
Meanwhile, it has been revealed that Northern Ireland is set to benefit from a £20 million Open spending spree.
Mr McGrillen added: "We probably are going to see somewhere in the region of £20m having being spent just over the week.
"There's been a lot of money spent - a lot of work has gone into this."
And that is only the start of a predicted huge post-tournament boon that could see tourism here becocme a £2bn industry.