The R&A Responds To Donald Trump Turnberry Claim

Just a few days ago, Donald Trump claimed that The R&A are keen to take The Open Championship back to his Turnberry course for the first time since 2009, with the 45th US President stating: "They want The Open to go back. I can tell you they want to come back."

Now though, The R&A have reportedly quashed his statement, with the organisers of The Open Championship dismissing the claims, with their stance not changing to that of a few years ago, when the organisation stated they "had no plans to stage any of our championships at Turnberry and will not do so in the foreseeable future”.

Perks Of Winning The Open

Prior to Trump purchasing Turnberry back in 2014, the course was on The Open rota and last staged an Open Championship back in 2009, when Tom Watson famously came so close to securing the Claret Jug at the age of 59.

Ranked as one of the best courses in Scotland, as well as number four in our latest Top 100 golf courses in the UK & Ireland list, Trump stated that "it is rated the number one course in Europe now. We did a big surgery on Turnberry and it has gotten great reviews, even from people who hate me."

However, the announcement was obviously news to The R&A, who were quick to extinguish any rumours that the Claret Jug would be returning to the Ailsa Course in the near future.

What's more, in the past, capacity and access issues associated with the course have reportedly always been a problem, with the staging of the tournament at Turnberry delivering crowds that are significantly lower than those in other Open Championships. 

Although we won't see Turnberry on The Open rota, could we see it on the LIV Golf calendar? Well, with the Saudi-backed series set to expand its schedule to 14 events next year, it is still unclear as to where these tournaments will be taking place, with Trump currently hosting two tournaments on the current LIV Golf schedule.

Rumours are that Valderrama could be a new venue, with Trump International Golf Links Doonbeg in Ireland also being a possible choice. However, with the new LIV Golf League set to get underway in February 2023, it could be another month or so before we hear the finalised schedule.