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UK government officials have begun exploring whether Donald Trump’s golf course in Scotland could play host to The Open championship later this decade — after extensive pressure from the US president — according to people close to the talks.
Trump has regularly asked British ministers, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, why the event has not been played at his Turnberry resort for the past 16 years. He has previously highlighted his interest in hosting the Open at the Ayrshire course, saying in 2023: “Everybody wants to see the Open championship here.”
The Guardian reported on Monday night that officials from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport had asked senior figures at the R&A, which organises the world’s oldest major golf championship, what the hurdles would be to hosting the 2028 Open at Turnberry.
One person close to the situation told the FT: “There are people in Downing Street who would like this to be a silver bullet which could please Donald Trump. The question is whether it’s feasible or not.”
One government official did not deny that the conversations had taken place. But they insisted that the DCMS had not been “lobbying” for the event to take place there, saying it would be up to the R&A to decide where the tournament would be held.
“Sport operates independently of government, and decisions on tournament hosting venues are a matter for relevant sporting bodies,” they said. “Therefore, direct representations in respect of Turnberry’s hosting of The Open Championship would be a matter for the R&A and their operational team.”
The FT revealed in February, during Starmer’s visit to the White House, that Trump’s team had raised the possibility of Turnberry once again hosting the Open Championship.
The R&A had said in 2021 that it would not host it there in the wake of the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill that year. Trump had bought the course in 2014.
Mark Darbon, the R&A’s new chief executive, last week highlighted transport and accommodation as the main challenges facing Turnberry.
Attendances at Open tournaments have boomed since it attracted 123,000 spectators in 2009. Last year, 258,174 people attended Royal Troon in Scotland, underlining the scale of the contemporary event.
On Monday the R&A said: “We regularly engage with government and local government regarding venues. We have explained the logistical challenges around Turnberry to the government and they are aware of the position.”
