R&A met Trump's son to discuss Turnberry Open

Donald Trump and son Eric (right) attended the re-opening of the Ailsa Course at Turnberry in 2016 - the event attracted protesters criticising the current US President

R&A officials have met US President Donald Trump's son Eric to discuss The Open returning to Turnberry - but say logistical challenges remain.

The Ayrshire venue's iconic Ailsa Course, which is regarded as one of the best in the world, last hosted the championship in 2009 - five years before Trump bought the resort.

A total of 120,000 people attended that championship. This week's Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland will have around 280,000 spectators, while 250,000 were at Royal Troon in 2024.

"We love the golf course - we've not taken it out of our pool of venues - but we have some big logistical issues there," said R&A chief executive Mark Darbon.

"You've seen the scale of the set-up here [Royal Portrush] and there's some work to do on the road, rail and accommodation infrastructure around Turnberry."

'Venue choice rests with R&A'

Darbon, who is overseeing his first Open Championship, said there were 1.2m applications for tickets for this week's championship and the R&A is "keen to service that demand where we can".

"But it's not about just being bigger," he added. "It's about being better. So it's not about just simply the volume of people."

Darbon acknowledged that the UK Government has also spoken with the R&A about Turnberry hosting The Open.

"We have an ongoing dialogue with the UK Government given the scale of the event we stage," he told BBC Sport.

"We create huge economic impact in the regions in which we stage the championship and this week we'll be generating more than £210m.

"I think, as they made clear recently, while we have discussed Turnberry with them, they've been explicit the choices of venues rest with the R&A."

When pressed on whether the Government has suggested it would be a good idea to take the Championship back to Turnberry, Darbon replied: "As I say, we have an ongoing dialogue with them and they know choices around venues are at our whim."

Darbon was also asked if the Trump ownership is an issue.

"It's a somewhat hypothetical question," he said.

"Unless we address the logistical challenges, it's difficult for us to go back. I met a couple of months ago with Eric Trump and some of the leadership from the Trump golf organisation from Turnberry.

"We had a really good discussion. I think they understand clearly where we are coming from. We talked through some of the challenges that we have, so we have a good dialogue with them."

Darbon said in April that he "would love" to see the tournament return to Turnberry.

That appeared to be at odds with his predecessor Martin Slumbers, who in 2021 strongly suggested the course would not be restored to the Open rota while Trump was associated with the venue, expressing concerns that the focus would be off the course.

"We will not return until we are convinced the focus will be on the championship, the players and the course itself, and we do not believe that is achievable in the current circumstances," he said.

It was a stance he reiterated as recently as November, after Trump's second election victory, referencing the risk of "media noise" detracting from the golf.

One of R&A chief executive Mark Darbon's first jobs this week was to get the Claret Jug back from last year's champion Xander Schauffele (left)

Trump's team believe feasibility 'not an issue'

Insiders at the R&A say their meeting with Eric Trump at the organisation's HQ in St Andrews in mid-March was a cordial affair.

The golf body tried to explain to the US President's son what logistical issues need to be overcome for Turnberry to host the Open again, and to reassure him that a return had not been ruled out on any political grounds.

Eric Trump is a senior executive in his father's business, which also owns a golf resort in Aberdeenshire.

Some officials believe public investment may be required to improve local rail and road links, along with more investment in hotel accommodation if Turnberry is to host the championship again.

But members of the Trump golf organisation's leadership team firmly believe that feasibility is not an issue, and that there is little difference between the infrastructure around the resort and other courses that host major championships.

The meeting with the R&A proves that they have not given up on The Open returning to Turnberry in 2028.

Although the R&A has talked down any suggestion of pressure being applied by the UK Government, Donald Trump mentioned his ownership of Turnberry during a joint news conference with Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier this year.

With the US President himself expected to travel to his golf resort at Menie in Aberdeenshire later this month, and meetings planned with Starmer and Scotland's First Minister John Swinney during his visit, the conversations are set to resume.

Could Open be held in Republic of Ireland?

Royal Birkdale, north of Liverpool, will host the 2026 Open, with the championship returning to St Andrews, on the east coast of Scotland, the following year.

R&A chief executive Darbon said he expects to announce the 2028 course "before the middle of next year".

The Open Championship has historically been held in the third week of July but in 2028 that will clash with the Los Angeles Olympic Games, which will run from 14-30 July in 2028.

He said they are "pretty close to a solution" to that issue.

Portmarnock in the Republic of Ireland is also being considered as a venue in what would be a historic move that would see The Open held outside the United Kingdom for the first time.

"We expect to have a clearer picture by the back end of this year," said Darbon, who added that the R&A was "knee deep in feasibility work" and had been "encouraged by the support from the Irish Government".