Trump, U.K. Discussing Turnberry Open Championship: Reports

The possibility of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews taking the Open Championship back to the Trump Turnberry golf club in Scotland for the first time since 2009 is reportedly becoming a point of negotiation in the relationship between U.K. government officials and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump has asked U.K. government officials about whether his course will be able to host another major championship, and those officials have in turn inquired with the R&A about that potential, according to sources in multiple British reports, including The Guardian and the Financial Times.

The development comes in the wake of R&A CEO Mark Darbon shifting his organization’s stance on Turnberry hosting another Open Championship, which the R&A (the governing body for golf outside the U.S. and Mexico) operates.

“It’s a course we’d love to return to at some point,” Darbon said last week. 

Darbon and the R&A had previously pushed back on the idea of Turnberry hosting another Open Championship, with concerns around both Trump taking the spotlight away from golf at a future tournament there and the course’s limited capacity for fans, compared to other venues.

The Trump Organization purchased Turnberry in 2014 for $60 million and has invested $200 million in making improvements to the property since. 

The Final Word

While this week’s reports indicate that U.K. government officials may be in favor of Turnberry hosting another Open Championship to appease Trump—and bettering their relationship with the current White House administration—they don’t have the authority to place another tournament at the course.

Ultimately, the R&A will have the final say on where the Open Championship is played each year. The first opening in the schedule is 2028. 

Since Turnberry last hosted in 2009, the Open Championship has been played at nine different courses, which all figure to remain in the rotation for future editions.