The 150th Open Championship in St Andrews generated a record-breaking £300 million for the Scottish economy.
And Fife’s hotels and restaurants were among those to reap the benefits, with £61m spent in the region.
An independent study found the historic golf event at The Old Course brought in £106m in new money across the country.
And worldwide TV coverage was worth a further £201m in destination marketing.
The total economic benefit delivered last year is the highest in the history of the championship.
Fife Council’s tourism spokesman, Labour councillor Altany Craik, said: “This provided a very welcome boost to our accommodation providers, restaurants and other tourism-related businesses.
“The Open is an ideal way to showcase Fife to an international audience, many of whom are visiting for the first time.
“And I hope the positive experiences they had mean many will come back again either for golf or for a holiday.”
Highest attendance in tournament’s history
An unprecedented 290,000 golf fans descended on St Andrews during the tournament last July.
It was the highest attendance in the tournament’s history as crowds flocked to see some of the world’s biggest golfing stars.
The previous record was 239,000 at St Andrews in 2000.
And tens of millions of fans across the world watched the action on TV.
The economic impact study, commissioned by the R&A, Fife Council and VisitScotland, was conducted by Sheffield Hallam University.
And the marketing benefit findings follow separate research led by YouGov Sport.
R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers described the event as the most eagerly anticipated Open of all time.
He said: “We enjoyed a hugely memorable week in which we welcomed tens of thousands of visitors to the home of golf.”
2022 was ‘a momentous year for golf in Scotland’
The Open’s success follows a challenging two years for tourism as a result of the Covid pandemic.
According to the research, more than half of spectators travelled from outwith Scotland.
And 48% said it was their first visit to the championship.
Almost a third of visitors came from elsewhere in the UK, but 19% came from the USA.
More than half said they would attend future Open Championships.
Paul Bush, director of events at VisitScotland, said 2022 was a momentous year for golf in Scotland.
“Today’s impact figures emphasise the importance of the championship to both Fife and Scotland and to the wider post-pandemic recovery,” he said.
Conversation