The R&A’s Chief Executive, Martin Slumbers, first said in January 2021 that his organization “had no plans to stage any of our championships at Turnberry and will not do so in the foreseeable future.” Eric Trump, the Executive Vice-President of the Trump organization, says the family remains “deeply committed to the Open Championship whenever the call is received.”
Reports out of the United Kingdom claim that Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Ayrshire, Scotland has been blacklisted by the R&A. The Telegraph reported from a source that Trump’s only option would be to sell as his ownership is perceived as a serious security risk due to potential protests.
The R&A’s robust stance prompted an immediate call for a rethink from the Trump camp on May 31, The Telegraph reported. Trump’s son Eric, the Executive Vice-President of the Trump organization, sent a statement to The Telegraph saying the family remains “deeply committed to the Open Championship whenever the call is received.”
“My family is deeply committed to Scotland and has one singular focus – preserving Turnberry as the best golf course anywhere in the world,” he said.
Eric, who is credited with helping to drive a course redesign of Trump National Doral in Miami, Fla. added: “We have invested nearly $200 million in the property, achieved the most prestigious accolades in the world of golf and have a course which is universally considered to be the best in the Open Championship rota,” The Telegraph reported.
Trump Sr. had been talking up relations with the R&A recently, The Telegraph reported. In an interview with GB News during his last visit to the course on May 3, he said he had “spent a tremendous amount of money” redeveloping the course following advice from former Chief Executive of the R&A, Peter Dawson.
The course was redesigned by Martin Ebert, The Telegraph reported.
Trump added: “We’re going to make a couple of little minor adjustments but it’s fantastic. Everybody wants to see the Open Championship here – the players, it’s their favorite course, it’s the No 1-rated in Europe.”
Trump will host his biggest male tournament in the UK to date in August – the PGA Seniors Championship at his links course near Aberdeen, Scotland, The Telegraph reported. There are also plans to host a LIV event at Doonbeg in Co Clare, Ireland, perhaps next year.
This year his courses are staging three of the Saudi-funded circuit’s events, including last week in Washington DC, The Telegraph reported. The 151st Open, meanwhile, takes place this summer at Royal Liverpool from July 16.
Trump purchased Turnberry in 2014, five years after it last staged golf’s oldest major, The Telegraph reported. The R&A’s Chief Executive, Martin Slumbers, first said in January 2021 that his organization “had no plans to stage any of our championships at Turnberry and will not do so in the foreseeable future.”
Three years on, an R&A source told Telegraph Sport “our position remains unchanged”. The source added: “We have no plans to stage any of our championships there in the foreseeable future and will not return until we are convinced that the focus will be on the championship, the players and the course itself,” the insider added.
Another insider close to tours added: “The way it looks now, he would have to sell up before anything changes,” The Telegraph reported.
Eric Trump added in his response that “we are incredibly proud of this historic icon and remain deeply committed to the Open Championship whenever the call is received,” The Telegraph reported.
Trump Turnberry staff waved hats which said “Made Turnberry Great Again” as they greeted the former president three weeks’ ago, though he is still facing court action in the United States as he has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records, The Telegraph reported.
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