Final OPEN bits!

Open set for swift return to Hoylake

THE Open is set to return to Wirral in less than a decade after a hugely successful competition at Hoylake.

Yesterday, the chief executive of the R&A Peter Dawson confirmed the course was back on the championship calendar.
He said: "We are announcing about five years ahead, but we have been impressed by the course, and not least by Wirral Council and Merseyside Police who have been fantastic.

Opens have been announced for Carnoustie next year, back on Merseyside for Royal Birkdale in 2008, Turnberry in 2009 and back to St Andrews in 2010. It is expected to return to the third North West course at Royal Lytham and St Annes and another Scottish course before returning to Wirral, making the earliest likely return date for Hoylake 2013.

The R&A also said they were pleased so many juniors had attended the event, with 21,000 young people among the 230,000 spectators. Under 16s had been able to get in for free when accompanied by an adult.

The success of the event was also recognised within Wirral, and the executive member for highways, Cllr Jeff Green, said: "I am delighted and very proud that the work the council did in supporting this event has born such marvellous fruits.
"The Open was supported by the entire authority and by very many local people. Its success was an exemplary team effort.
"We have always said we wanted to do more that just put on a fantastic Open and this vindicates the work of all parties in the council and in the borough."
In the short term, it is expected to generate between £57m-£60m to the region's immediate economy, from workers, visitors and media spending money in the vicinity, and could have a lasting impact as senior businessmen visited the area.

Wirral West MP Stephen Hesford said: "We have had the opportunity to show our area off and show that we can host this great event and we have done this with great success."