Royal County Down, which hosted last years Irish Open, has been voted the best golf course on the planet by a preeminent golf magazine.
Golf Digest claims the Newcastle course was a "surprising" number one in its "The World’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses", but cited its coastal location and scenic beauty as reasons for the accolade.
Royal County Down moved into top spot in the rankings, rising three places from last year's fourth position, toppling New Jersey's Pine Valley into third place, with the historic US Masters venue Augusta National voted second best course.
The rankings were set after input from over 1,800 golf course evaluation panellists contributed to the poll.
Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: "It is a fantastic accolade for Royal County Down to be voted number one golf course in the world - beating other world-renowned courses such as Augusta National, venue for the US Masters, and Pine Valley, New Jersey.
"And I am delighted to see another local course, Royal Portrush, come in at number 27 on the same list. This wonderful endorsement presents Tourism Ireland with another invaluable opportunity to showcase Northern Ireland to golfers and prospective visitors around the world. We will be pulling out all the stops - in Great Britain, the US and in other important golf markets - to capitalise on the potential of this wonderful news.
Commenting on Royal County Down, Golf Digest magazine, said: "On a clear spring day, with Dundrum Bay to the east, the mountains of Mourne to the south and gorse-covered dunes in golden bloom, there is no lovelier place in golf than our new No. 1."
