A large wall mural of Irish golfer Shane Lowry near the entrance to Royal Portrush golf club shows how the sport has made its mark in Northern Ireland.

The freshly-painted picture of Lowry, who won the Open Championship in Portrush in 2019, demonstrates the importance of golf in this part of the world.

The timing is perfect, just as preparations for next year’s Open at Royal Portrush are being stepped up.

The end of the tournament at Royal Troon in Scotland on Sunday means the north coast course in Northern Ireland is now the centre of attention.

The Covid-19 pandemic, and the worldwide shutdown in 2020, meant Royal Portrush Golf Club and the surrounding town lost some of the momentum for tourism created by the 2019 tournament.

However, being handed another chance to stage the event so quickly has given Portrush another chance to shine.

Organisers say the Open championship generates more than 5,000 hours of global television coverage, with the competition beamed into 500 million homes.

John McGrillen, chief executive of Tourism NI, says the value of the tournament is not just about sport.

“The last Open back in 2019 brought huge benefits not just to the north coast but to the whole of Northern Ireland,” he adds.

“It allowed us to present a very positive image of Northern Ireland across the globe, not only as a golf destination but also as a place to visit and invest.

“We have seen a lot of investment, both locally and from overseas, in the hotel sector on the north coast following the event as well as in other locations such as Newcastle, Derry and Belfast, which have all benefited from the boom in golf tourism.”

Next year will be the 153rd Open championship, one of golf’s four major global tournaments each year.

While some changes have been made to the golf course and surroundings at Portrush since the last Open, some preparations can only take place in the final few months and weeks.

The golf course still has to be accessible to club members for the next year.

In the run-up to July, grandstands and scoreboards will start appearing as well as camera towers, all in the familiar Open colours of blue and yellow.

Hospitality areas are a big part of modern sporting events and they too will be starting to take shape in early summer.

One thing organisers cannot control is the weather. When the wind blows and rain falls on the north coast, the course at Royal Portrush can be very tricky.

It may make for compelling viewing for armchair TV fans, but in Portrush they will be hoping for sunshine.