In a significant setback for President-elect Donald Trump, the Royal & Ancient Golf Club (R&A) has confirmed that Turnberry will remain off the Open Championship rota for the foreseeable future.
The prestigious Ayrshire links, purchased by Trump in 2014, has not hosted golf’s oldest major tournament for over 15 years, primarily due to ongoing controversies surrounding the former president.
As Trump prepares for his anticipated return to the White House, there were hopes within the Turnberry management team that the golf course might again play host to The Open. However, R&A Chief Executive Martin Slumbers has dashed these aspirations, stating that the championship will not be returning to Turnberry until the surrounding “media noise” has ceased.
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Speaking to The Golf Channel, Slumbers stated, “We are currently in a position with respect to Turnberry where we will not be taking any events there until we are comfortable that the whole dialogue is about golf. At the moment, that situation is not one we are comfortable with, but it could evolve in the coming years.”
Highlighting the R&A’s commitment to preserving the integrity of the championship, Slumbers continued, “When you look at the major championships, we want the focus to be purely on the golf course and the players competing. It is crucial that media coverage remains centered on the golf championship itself, the oldest and original one, to maintain the strength of our events.”
