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The R&A would like to see Turnberry return as host of The Open, but the governing body will first need to assess the feasibility of the venue, chief executive Mark Darbon said Tuesday.
Turnberry, a seaside course in South Ayrshire, Scotland, has been owned by U.S. President Donald Trump since 2014. It has staged The Open four times — most recently in 2009, when Stewart Cink won.
In 2021, after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters, the R&A said it would not stage championships at Turnberry. Darbon, however, said it was due to logistical concerns.
“At Turnberry, there are definitely some logistical and commercial challenges that we face around the road, rail and accommodation infrastructure,” Darbon told British media. “We’re doing some feasibility work around what it would look like to return to that venue and the investment that it would require.”
The 153rd edition of The Open, one of golf’s major championships, will take place from July 13-20 at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, with the R&A announcing on Tuesday that a record attendance of 278,000 fans is expected at the event.
“The last time we were there [Turnberry], I think we had just over 120,000 people,” Darbon said. “We’ve just announced that this summer we’re going to welcome nearly 280,000 people here [at Royal Portrush]. A modern Open Championship is a large-scale event.
“What we know for sure is the golf course is brilliant, so at some point we’d love to be back there.”
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