Trump's Turnberry faces hurdles for Open return

PORTRUSH, Northern Eire — President Donald Trump just isn’t getting an Open Championship to the Turnberry course he owns within the close to future, a problem the R&A’s new chief government mentioned Wednesday was extra about transportation than politics.

Turnberry is thought to be probably the most stunning of the hyperlinks on the Open rotation, set alongside the Ayrshire coast in Scotland throughout from the Ailsa Craig. It final hosted the Open in 2009, earlier than Trump purchased the resort.

Mark Darbon, who took over on the R&A this yr from Martin Slumbers, mentioned Turnberry had not been taken off the listing of potential Open websites, however transportation and different points needed to be addressed.

“I feel we have been extraordinarily clear on our place in respect of Turnberry. We love the golf course however we have got some massive logistical challenges there,” he mentioned. “You see the dimensions of their setup right here and we have got some work to do on the highway, rail and lodging infrastructure round Turnberry.”

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Darbon mentioned the R&A met with Eric Trump and different leaders of Trump Golf a number of months in the past and the talks had been constructive.

“I feel they perceive clearly the place we’re coming from. We talked via a few of the challenges that now we have so we have got an excellent dialogue with them,” he mentioned.

Slumbers had beforehand mentioned the R&A wouldn’t be going to Turnberry till it was comfy the subject could be about golf and never the proprietor.

Turnberry has solely hosted the Open Championship 4 occasions, first in 1977 with the well-known “Duel within the Solar” when Tom Watson beat Jack Nicklaus. However the Open is getting larger, and the roads are restricted attending to Turnberry.

There was hypothesis Trump, whose golf programs have by no means hosted a males’s main, would possibly ask the British authorities to intercede in getting the Open again to Turnberry.

“Now we have an ongoing dialogue with the UK authorities provided that we’re a serious occasion that creates vital worth into the UK economic system,” Darbon mentioned. “We have spoken to them particularly about Turnberry and I feel they’ve made it clear that the choice round the place we take our championship rests with us.

“I’d discover it troublesome to foretell whether or not there shall be any dialogue on the Open if the President is making a go to right here.”

Turnberry just isn’t the one Scottish hyperlinks being ignored by the R&A. Muirfield, positioned alongside the Firth of Forth east of Edinburgh, is reputed to be the purest of hyperlinks programs. Its first Open was in 1892, and there have been 15 others, most just lately in 2013 received by Phil Mickelson.

Solely St. Andrews has hosted extra Opens than Muirfield.

Nevertheless it has not been again there since 2013 because the R&A has been geared towards taking golf’s oldest championship to programs that may maintain massive crowds. It’s anticipated 278,000 spectators shall be at Royal Portrush this week, the second-largest behind St. Andrews. The final Open at Muirfield had 142,000 spectators.

The Open shall be at Royal Birkdale subsequent yr, after which St. Andrews in 2027. The location for 2028 has not been introduced. Muirfield has by no means gone greater than 11 years — apart from interruptions from World Struggle I and World Struggle II — between Opens.

“We love the golf course at Muirfield. We’re in a dialogue with the venue proper now,” Darbon mentioned. “There’s some issues that we have to evolve at Muirfield — the apply floor particularly is a problem for us with a contemporary Open and there is some work we have to do with the venue to facilitate a few of the infrastructure that we require.

“Nevertheless it’s an excellent dialogue and we might like to be again there sooner or later.”