After lobbying earlier this week for his Turnberry course in Scotland to host the British Open, President Trump again saw his hopes of that occurring in the short term scuttled by the new CEO of the R&A.
Mark Darbon, who recently succeeded Martin Slumbers in the top spot, told the Telegraph that the organization that runs the championship would not be lobbied by government interests and said the venue’s low revenue is the basis for not returning.
During a meeting with UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer on Thursday, Trump again lauded the Turnberry course in the southern part of Scotland that has hosted the championship four times.
"We need a venue that is appropriate from both logistical and commercial perspective,” Darbon said. “That’s crucial for us, because through the Open, we generate most of our revenue and we use that to invest in 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 (123,000 spectators) for the week. We are operating comfortably at more than double that at most of our venues today. So it’s not quite as simply as just saying “would we go back?’ There’s a chunk of work that’s required to investigate.”
Open dates have been given through 2028, when the championship will return to St. Andrews.
Slumbers was consistent in his take on Turnberry last November, saying that “we will not be taking events there until we’re comfortable that the whole dialogue will be about golf.”
In the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021 attacks on the U.S. capital, the R&A again backed off on its commitment to the course. Previously, it had pointed to Trump showing up there during the playing of the 2015 Women’s Open.
Turnberry is one of 10 venues in the Open rota (a total of 14 have hosted the championship) but has gone the longest without a return visit.
But under Slumber’s leadership, the R&A made commercial success of the venue a priority.
This year’s championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland will be hosting for just the third time after a successful return in 2019 that saw more than 239,000 spectators for the week. According to the R&A, four of the last five venues have been in excess of 200,000 spectators. The outlier was Royal St. George’s in 2021 which had COVID restrictions.
Turnberry isn’t the only venue that has seen a long time between visits. Royal Lytham & St. Anne’s in England last hosted in 2012 when Ernie Els won his second Claret Jug. Muirfield in Scotland, generally considered among the best venues among the 10, last hosted the championship in 2013 when it was won by Phil Mickelson.
Since then, Royal Liverpool has hosted twice (2014, 2023), the Old Course at St Andrews two times (2015, 2022), Royal Troon twice (2016, 2024), with Royal Birkdale (2017) set for next year’s championship. Carnoustie in 2018 is another venue that is considered to have underperformed.
Turnberry first hosted the Open in 1977, making it the newest of the 10 to stage the oldest championship. It was the site that year of the famous “Duel in the Sun” won by Tom Watson over Jack Nicklaus. It returned in 1986, when Greg Norman won the first of his two Opens and again in 1994 when Nick Price won. But it went 15 years before staging the epic 2009 encounter where 59-year-old Tom Watson – winner of five Opens – lost in a playoff to Stewart Cink.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as R&A Says British Open Won't Return to Turnberry Despite Pressure From Donald Trump.
