Donald Trump’s dreams of hosting golf’s Open Championship at his Turnberry course in Scotland will not be realised until the course is logistically and commercially viable, the game’s governing body has said.
Mark Darbon, chief executive of the R&A, told Sky News Turnberry is a “challenging” venue and, despite suggestions of diplomatic pressure from London and Washington, it has no immediate plans to schedule a championship at the Ayrshire venue.
Mr Trump has made no secret of his desire to return the Open to a course he bought in 2014, with his son Eric Trump leading efforts for it to stage a first championship since 2009.
Sources close to Mr Trump’s golf interests have told Sky News the Open would be a valuable bargaining tool in the UK’s trade negotiations with the US, and the King went as far as to mention Turnberry in the invitation for a state visit hand delivered by the prime minister last month.
In his first broadcast interview since becoming chief executive last November, Mr Darbon said logistics and finances currently rule out a course that may have been outgrown by the demands of a modern Open.
“The area where there’s a bit of challenge is around the logistical and commercial side. The last time we were at Turnbury in 2009 we had 120,000 people there,” he said.
“These days a modern Open caters for 250,000 people-plus, and so we need the road and rail infrastructure to get our fan base there. We need hotel accommodation for the 60,000 bed nights we need to stage our championship and it’s challenging at that venue.”
Mr Darbon did not deny there was pressure to consider Turnberry, and indicated that politics, and the prospect of Mr Trump overshadowing any event, would also be a factor.
“We need to be confident that the focus will be on the sport and we need to ensure that the venue works for our requirement,” he added.
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Competition for Turnberry is likely to increase from larger, less remote facilities.
The R&A draws Open venues from a rota of courses, with Royal Portrush staging this year’s championship following a sellout return after almost 70 years in 2019. Mr Darbon confirmed Portmarnock near Dublin is being actively considered for the first-ever Open outside the UK.
Maximising income from the Open matters because the R&A, which governs the game everywhere save the US, uses the revenue to fund a grassroots game still enjoying a post-COVID boom.
“We work with over 140 countries around the world, and in those markets there are now more than 62 million golfers, more than ever before,” Mr Darbon said.
“Some 40-odd million are playing golf regularly on nine and 18-hole golf courses, another 20 million are playing what we would call non-traditional formats like driving ranges, adventure golf, simulator golf. So the game is actually in rude health and our job is to continue to foster that and support it over time.”
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He is optimistic too that an end may be in sight for golf’s own trade war, between the US PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabian-funded LIV Golf league, a multi-billion dollar schism in the men’s professional game that has enriched scores of players while alienating many fans.
“There’s been too much talk about cash and not enough talk about competition and courses and all the other wonderful things that underpin our sport. So we’re optimistic for some positive change on that front. We’re not a negotiating table, but our job is to try and influence those discussions,” he said.
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The Open and golf’s other major championships, including next month’s Masters, have benefitted from the dispute as the only platforms for all of the best male players, and Mr Darbon says the game retains its lucrative appeal to business & sponsors.
“I think golf is maintaining its commercial appeal and I think there are a number of things that support that,” he said.
“The game has a really rich history and heritage, the values of the sport are really strong, and brands of businesses can continue to tell really rich stories about the game of golf that links to their own products and services. On top of that, golf has a genuinely global audience.”
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Among them is the world’s most powerful man, his ambitions to host the Open still unfulfilled.
