Donald Trump’s dreams of hosting Golf’s Open Championships at his Turnberry track in Scotland will not be realized until the course is logistically and commercially viable, the governing body of the game said.
R&A CEO Mark Darbon told Sky News Turnberry that a ‘challenging’ venue and despite proposals of diplomatic pressure from London and Washington, it has no immediate plans to plan a championship on the Ayrshire venue.
Mr Trump made no secret of his desire to give the opening back to a course he bought in 2014, with his son Eric Trump setting up a first championship since 2009.
Sources close to the golf interests of Mr. Trump told Sky News the Open would be a valuable bargaining tool in the UK trade negotiations with the US, and the king went so far as to mention Turnberry The invitation for a state visit Hand delivered by the Premier last month.
Mark Darbon, CEO of the R&A
In his first broadcasting song since becoming CEO in November last year, Mr. Darbon said logistics and finances are currently excluding a course that may have grown through the demands of a modern Open.
“The area where there is a little challenge is around the logistics and commercial side. The last time we were at Turnbury in 2009, we had 120,000 people there,” he said.
“Nowadays, a modern open provision for 250,000 people-plus, which is why we need the road and rail infrastructure to get our fan there. We need hotel accommodation for the 60,000 bed nights we need to set up our championship, and it’s challenging at that venue.”
Mr. Darbon did not deny that there was pressure to consider Turnberry, and indicated that politics, and the prospect of Mr. Trump overshadowed any event, too, would be a factor.
“We need to be confident that the focus will be on the sport and we must ensure that the venue works for our requirement,” he added.
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A man has been charged with the vandalism of a golf course last week by Mr. Trump is owned. Photo: Dad
Turnberry competition is likely to increase from larger, less remote facilities.
The R&A takes open places from a rota of courses, with Royal Portrush performing the championship this year after a sale to nearly 70 years in 2019. Darbon confirmed Portmarnock near Dublin that it was actively considered for the first Open outside the UK.
The maximum revenue from the open matters because the R&A, which regulates the game everywhere, uses the US Save, uses the income to finance a grassroots level that still enjoys a post-covty boom.
Donald Trump plays golf on his Turnberry track. Photo: Dad
“We are working with more than 140 countries around the world, and in those markets there are now more than 62 million golfers, more than ever before,” Darbon said.
“About 40-year-old million regularly play golf on nine and 18-hole golf courses, playing another 20 million that we would call non-traditional formats, such as riding range, adventure golf, simulator golf. The game is actually in rude health and our job is to continue to promote and support it over time.”
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He is also optimistic that an end can be in sight for golf’s own trade war, between the American PGA tour and the Saudi Arabian Funded Liv Golf League, a multi-billion dollar rift in the men’s professional game that enriched many players while alienating many fans.
“There is too much talk about cash and not enough talk about competition and courses and all the other wonderful things that support our sport. So we are optimistic for a positive change on the front. We are not a negotiating table, but our task is to try to influence the discussions,” he said.
The ambitions of Mr. Trump to offer the Open at Turnberry is still not fulfilled. Photo: Dad
The Open and Golf’s other major championships, including the next month’s masters, benefited from the dispute as the only platform for all the best male players, and Mr. Darbon says the game retains its profitable attraction for business and sponsors.
“I think golf retains its commercial attraction and I think there are a number of things that support it,” he said.
“The game has a very rich history and heritage, the values of the sport are very strong, and brands of businesses can continue to tell many rich stories about the game of golf related to their own products and services. In addition, golf has heard a real global.”
Among them is the most powerful man in the world, his ambitions to offer the open still unfulfilled.
