The finals of the Millennium International Pairs Golf Classic will take place over three days at Mount Juliet next week. After qualifiers were staged at over 400 British clubs earlier in the year, the field was whittled down to 30 pairs when the semi-finals were staged at St Helen's Bay, Rathsallagh, Kilkea Castle, Mount Wolseley and Waterford Castle last month. The staging of such events is just one of the factors contributing to the booming Irish golfing economy. Another example is the recent hosting of the SAS World Trophy at Druid's Glen. The major airline held qualifiers around the world for its clients before bringing 120 players to the Co Wicklow venue for the three-day finals. Overseas visitors now account for over a third of the 33,000 green fees paid annually at Druid's Glen, with over 3,000 from Scandinavia alone.