PORTRUSH, Northern Eire — President Donald Trump is just not 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 checklist of potential Open websites, however transportation and different points needed to be addressed.
“I believe we have been extraordinarily clear on our place in respect of Turnberry. We love the golf course however we have some huge logistical challenges there,” he mentioned. “You see the dimensions of their setup right here and we have some work to do on the street, rail and lodging infrastructure round Turnberry.”
Darbon mentioned the R&A met with Eric Trump and different leaders of Trump Golf a couple of months in the past and the talks had been constructive.
“I believe they perceive clearly the place we’re coming from. We talked by among the challenges that now we have so we have a great 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 greater, and the roads are restricted attending to Turnberry.
There was hypothesis Trump, whose golf programs have by no means hosted a males’s main, may ask the British authorities to intercede in getting the Open again to Turnberry.
“We have now an ongoing dialogue with the UK authorities provided that we’re a significant occasion that creates vital worth into the UK economic system,” Darbon mentioned. “We have spoken to them particularly about Turnberry and I believe they’ve made it clear that the choice round the place we take our championship rests with us.
“I might discover it troublesome to foretell whether or not there can be any dialogue on the Open if the President is making a go to right here.”
Turnberry is just not the one Scottish hyperlinks being ignored by the R&A. Muirfield, situated 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 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 huge crowds. It’s anticipated 278,000 spectators can be at Royal Portrush this week, the second-largest behind St. Andrews. The final Open at Muirfield had 142,000 spectators.
The Open can be at Royal Birkdale subsequent yr, after which St. Andrews in 2027. The positioning for 2028 has not been introduced. Muirfield has by no means gone greater than 11 years — apart from interruptions from World Battle I and World Battle 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 follow 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 among the infrastructure that we require.
“Nevertheless it’s a great dialogue and we might like to be again there sooner or later.”