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Former president Donald Trump’s longstanding dream of hosting a men’s major championship at one of his name-branded courses will continue to remain just a dream for the foreseeable future. The R&A, the governing body that determines the sites of Open Championships, has reiterated its decision not to place its marquee tournament at Trump’s Turnberry links.
Turnberry has hosted some of the greatest moments in golf history, from Jack Nicklaus’ and Tom Watson’s “Duel in the Sun” in 1977 to Watson’s heartbreaking near-miss, a playoff loss to Stewart Cink at age 60 in 2009. Trump purchased the property in 2014 when it was still part of the Open Championship “rota,” or scheduled rotation of courses.
Turnberry is the most remote of the 10 venues in the rotation, but its scenic views and illustrious place in golf history had kept it in circulation. All nine of the other venues in the Open rota have hosted at least one championship since Turnberry in 2009.
Trump’s 2016 campaign rhetoric initially rubbed R&A officials the wrong way, and the organization did not schedule a major at the venue during Trump’s presidency. In January 2021, shortly after the riots at the U.S. Capitol in the wake of Trump’s election loss, R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers indicated that there were no plans to award an Open Championship to Turnberry.
“We had no plans to stage any of our championships at Turnberry and will not do so in the foreseeable future,” Slumbers said at the time. “We will not return until we are convinced that the focus will be on the championship, the players and the course itself, and we do not believe that is achievable in the current circumstances.”
More than three years later, the R&A’s stance on Trump has not changed. The Telegraph has quoted sources close to the R&A who confirm that the potential for security risks from protests remains a concern.
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Eric Trump, the president’s son and the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, said in a statement to the Telegraph that the organization remains “deeply committed to the Open Championship whenever the call is received,” adding, “My family is deeply committed to Scotland and has one singular focus — preserving Turnberry as the best golf course anywhere in the world.”
Trump himself visited Turnberry in May, saying at the time that “everybody wants to see the Open Championship here.” According to the Telegraph, Turnberry staff on-site sported red hats that read, “Made Turnberry Great Again.”
“We have invested nearly $200 million in the property,” Eric Trump told the Telegraph, “achieved the most prestigious accolades in the world of golf and have a course which is universally considered to be the best in the Open Championship rota.”
After the 2021 U.S. Capitol riots, Trump lost a major he’d already been awarded: the 2022 PGA Championship, slated for his property in Bedminster. Instead, the PGA moved the major to Southern Hills in Oklahoma. No Trump property has hosted any of the four majors.
Several Trump properties have hosted events for LIV Golf in its first year-plus of existence, including last month at Trump National Golf Club outside Washington, D.C. Two more Trump properties, Bedminster and Doral, are slated to host LIV events later this year.