Former president Donald Trump said last month that “everybody wants to see the Open Championship” held at the Trump Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, but organizers have other plans.
The R&A, the governing body over the tournament, said Turnberry will not be considered as a host for the British Open as long as it’s affiliated with Trump due to security risks, according to The Telegraph.
The Turnberry golf course first hosted the Open Championship in 1977, when Tom Watson narrowly defeated Jack Nicklaus by one stroke. Turnberry went on to host the Open three more times, most recently in 2009, but the course has not been called on since the Trump organization purchased it in 2014.
More: Here’s a look at all the golf courses owned by Donald Trump
Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump organization, told the Telegraph that his family remains “deeply committed to the Open Championship whenever the call is received.” He added, “My family is deeply committed to Scotland and has one singular focus – preserving Turnberry as the best golf course anywhere in the world.”
A Trump property has never hosted one of the four men’s major golf tournaments – the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship – although Trump golf courses have held some PGA Tour and LPGA events.
Trump’s Bedminster golf course in New Jersey was set to host the 2022 PGA Championship, but the PGA of America Board of Directors pulled the plug shortly after the 2021 United States Capitol attack. The 2022 PGA Championship was held at the Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the fifth time.
Trump properties, however, have been home to LIV Golf. The controversial Saudi-funded golf league has held three tournaments at a property owned by Trump, with upcoming stops scheduled at his courses in Bedminster, New Jersey, and Miami, Florida, later this year.
When asked last month whether he believes the LIV events are being held at his courses as some sort of reward for policies he enacted while in office that were favorable to Saudi Arabia, Trump said “not at all.” He said the courses receive a rental fee from LIV Golf but declined to specify how much money changes hands.
“It’s peanuts for me. This is peanuts,” Trump said. “They use (Trump courses) because they’re the best courses. It’s pretty simple.”
Contributing: Jordan Mendoza, Tom Schad
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