THE R&A and three public-sector agencies are to continue using the Open Championship to promote Scotland as the worldwide home of golf, Patricia Ferguson has announced.

EventScotland, VisitScotland and Scottish Enterprise have agreed to extend the partnership with the R&A until 2010.

The R&A is predicting a £200 million boost for the Scottish economy from the Open, which will be staged in Scotland three times between now and 2010.

The event is being contested at Carnoustie this July, Turnberry in 2009 and St Andrews in 2010.

At the inaugural National Events Conference at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport said the partnership extension “enables the Open to be harnessed as a means to promote Scotland as the home of golf and a world-class tourist destination.”

R&A chief executive Peter Dawson said, “Scotland plays host to the Open three times in the next four years and we know from a detailed economic impact study that the event will bring £100m of new money to the Scottish economy over that period and deliver a promotional legacy benefit to Scotland’s tourism industry of £100m more.”

EventScotland chief executive David Williams said, “The events industry is a major success story in this country. Since 2003 EventScotland has helped stage 162 international events, subsequently generating over £315m for the national economy.

“The whole of Scotland is now engaged in the events industry, with EventScotland directly supporting events in 26 out of Scotland’s 32 local authorities.

“Today’s announcement by the minister, and our hosting of this conference, is further evidence of our commitment to engage a host of partners across the sports and cultural spectrum about the economic and social value of events.”