Donald Trump has been warned not only is his controversial personality stopping The Open from returning to Turnberry – but the relatively low income the venue earns for the R&A as well.
The US president proudly referenced his ownership of the famous Ayrshire links during Thursday’s joint press conference alongside Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, at the White House.
And so, too, did King Charles in his letter to Trump, delivered in person by Starmer, which as well as inviting the 78-year-old to stage an unprecedented second state visit to the UK, also implored him to spend time with him at the nearby Dumfries House, “when you are next visiting Turnberry”.
Earlier Mark Austin, the Sky News presenter, reported on X: “I hear on good authority that high on the list of what Donald Trump wants from the UK is for the Open to be staged at Turnberry.”
However, Mark Darbon, the recently installed R&A chief executive indicated to Telegraph Sport on Friday that the governing body would not be swayed by any Government requests to appease Trump.
“At the core of our decision making will be the factors that have served us well in the past and we hope will continue to serve us well into the future,” he said.
Darbon’s predecessor, Martin Slumbers, continued to give a clear reason why Turnberry – the course that hosted the legendary 1977 “Duel in the Sun” Open and most recently the 2009 event at which a 59-year-old Tom Watson almost reprised his glory from 32 years before – was not being considered for the British major, despite remaining on the official roster. “We will not be taking events there until we’re comfortable that the whole dialogue will be about golf,” Slumbers emphasised to Telegraph Sport as recently as November.
Yet while Darbon is on the same page, he has changed the narrative in the sense that he has now outlined another issue that makes the governing body hesitant about going back to the Ailsa layout. It might be revered, but it is also remote without the suitable transport links.
“We need a venue that is appropriate from both a logistical and commercial perspective,“ he said. “That’s critical for us, because through the Open, we generate most of our revenue that we use that to invest into the rest of the game all around the world. So the reality is that modern-day open requires a venue that can support us logistically and commercially.
“So we do have some questions that we need to work through on the logistical and commercial front. When we were there in 2009, we had just over 100,000 [123,0000 spectators] for the week. We are operating at comfortably more than double that at most of our venues today. So it’s not quite as simple as just saying ‘would we go back?’. There’s a chunk of work that’s required to investigate.”
2024 Troon – 258,0002023 Hoylake – 261,0002022 St Andrews – 290,0002021 Royal St George's 128,000 – (Covid restricted)2019 Portrush – 237,7502018 Carnoustie – 172,0002017 Birkdale – 235,0002016 Troon – 173,0002015 St Andrews – 237,0002014 Hoylake – 203,0002013 Muirfield – 142,0002012 Lytham – 180,0002011 Royal St George's – 180,0002010 St Andrews – 201,0002009 Turnberry – 123,000
Darbon was quick to praise the renovation work undertaken since Trump’s purchase in 2014, calling it “spectacular”. But he also reinforced the point of Slumbers, who was known to be aghast when Trump arrived in his helicopter during the first round of the 2015 Women’s Open and proceeded to use the scene as a glorified stop on his election campaign.
“I think that’s true [what Slumbers said],” Darbon, the former Northampton Saints CEO, said. “We want the focus to be on what we believe to be the greatest golf championship in the world and on the quest to be champion golfer of the year. “So, yes, that’s hard to deny.”
However, he agreed that the door is not closed, even if it is almost impossible to see Turnberry hosting the British major until after Trump’s second term ends in 2029. For their part, the Trump family insist they are ready for the honour and that despite any concerns over the size of the crowd, will produce a memorable week.
“Turnberry is considered by all to be the best golf course in the world by the players, the writers, the spectators, and the entire golfing community,” Eric Trump, the president’s son, said in a statement to Telegraph Sport. “If we get the call, and I sincerely hope we do, I promise the R&A that we will be the best hosts the Open Championship has ever seen.”
