R&A would like Donald Trump’s Turnberry Course in Scotland to return as an open host, but will first have to assess the feasibility of the place, said the director general of the director organization, Mark Darbon.
Turnberry, a seaside course in the south of the Ayrshire, organized the Open four times – more recently in 2009, when the American Stewart Cink exceeded his compatriot Tom Watson to win the title in an exciting victory. Trump bought ownership in 2014 and spent 200 million pounds Sterling to improve station prices.
In 2021, after the attack of January 6 against the American Capitol by Trump supporters, the R&A said that he was not the theater championships in Turnberry “until we are convinced that the accent will be put on the championship, the players and the course itself and we do not think that it is achievable in the current circumstances.”
But Tuesday, Darbon said that the main concerns of the body concerning the return to the site are logistical rather than political.
“At Turnberry, there are certainly logistical and commercial challenges that we face around road, rail and accommodation infrastructures,” said Darbon. “We do a feasibility of what it would look like to return to this place and the investment that would be.”
Turnberry is 30 minutes by car from the nearest big city, Ayr, although there is a rail service limited to Girvan nearby, 10 minutes by car from the course and the hotel.
The 153rd edition of The Open, one of the main golf championships, will take place from July 13 to 20 at the Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, with the R & A announcing Tuesday that a record attendance of 278,000 fans is expected during the event.
“The last time we were there (Turnberry), I think we had a little more than 120,000 people,” said Darbon. “We have just announced that this summer, we will welcome nearly 280,000 people (at Royal Portrush). An open modern championship is a large-scale event. What we know with certainty is that the golf course is great, so at some point, we would like to be back there.”
The famous Cours Ailsa de Turnberry is currently closed after being seriously damaged earlier this year by pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
