Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf course will not host the British Open in the near future, with the R&A’s new chief executive, Mark Darbon, stating that logistical challenges, rather than political considerations, are the primary obstacle.
Turnberry, widely regarded as one of the most picturesque links courses on the Open rotation, is situated along the Ayrshire coast in Scotland, opposite the iconic Ailsa Craig. It last staged the Open in 2009, prior to Mr Trump’s acquisition of the resort.
Mr Darbon, who succeeded Martin Slumbers at the R&A this year, clarified that Turnberry has not been removed from the list of potential British Open venues. However, significant transportation and other infrastructure issues must be addressed. "I think we’ve been extremely clear on our position in respect of Turnberry. We love the golf course but we’ve got some big logistical challenges there," he explained. "You see the scale of their setup here and we’ve got some work to do on the road, rail and accommodation infrastructure around Turnberry."
Mr Darbon confirmed that the R&A held constructive discussions with Eric Trump and other leaders from Trump Golf a few months ago. "I think they understand clearly where we’re coming from. We talked through some of the challenges that we have so we’ve got a good dialogue with them," he added. This follows previous comments from Mr Slumbers, who indicated the R&A would not return to Turnberry until the focus was solely on golf, rather than the owner.
Despite speculation that Donald Trump might seek intervention from the British government to bring the Open back to Turnberry, Mr Darbon stated that the decision rests with the R&A. "We have an ongoing dialogue with the UK government given that we’re a major event that creates significant value into the UK economy," he said. "We've spoken to them specifically about Turnberry and I think they’ve made it clear that the decision around where we take our championship rests with us." He added: "I would find it difficult to predict whether there will be any discussion on The Open if the President is making a visit here."
Turnberry has only hosted the British Open four times, notably the 1977 "Duel in the Sun" between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus. However, the Open has grown considerably, and the existing road infrastructure around Turnberry is limited.
Turnberry is not the only Scottish links course currently overlooked by the R&A. Muirfield, located along the Firth of Forth east of Edinburgh, is considered one of the purest links courses, having hosted 15 Opens since 1892, most recently in 2013. Only St Andrews has hosted more Opens.
However, Muirfield has not been revisited since 2013 as the R&A prioritises courses capable of accommodating large crowds. While 142,000 spectators attended the last Open at Muirfield, Royal Portrush is expected to draw 278,000 this week, second only to St Andrews in attendance figures.
The Open will head to Royal Birkdale next year, followed by St Andrews in 2027, with the 2028 venue yet to be announced. Muirfield has historically never gone more than 11 years between Opens, excluding wartime interruptions.
"We love the golf course at Muirfield. We’re in a discussion with the venue right now," Mr Darbon confirmed. "There’s some things that we need to evolve at Muirfield — the practice ground in particular is a challenge for us with a modern Open and there’s some work we need to do with the venue to facilitate some of the infrastructure that we require. But it’s a good dialogue and we’d love to be back there in the future."
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