Donald Trump's Turnberry Golf Club will not be the host of the Open Championship in the near term, as the R&A has confirmed that Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club will stage the 156th Open in 2028. The decision means that Turnberry, which has long campaigned for a place on the Open rota, will have to wait indefinitely while a series of logistical and financial obstacles are resolved.
The 2024 Open will be held at Royal Birkdale, and the tournament will travel back to its historic home at St Andrews in 2027. After that, the championship will move to the storied links of Royal Lytham & St Annes for the 2028 edition, marking the first time the course has hosted since Ernie Els lifted the Claret Jug in 2012.
The move to Lytham also aligns the Open with its traditional August slot, avoiding a clash with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Turnberry’s exclusion was underscored by R&A Chief Executive Mark Darbon, who told Sky Sports that the venue presents a "logistical challenge" of considerable magnitude.
He explained that a modern Open requires a robust network of roads, rail links and accommodation capacity, all of which are limited in the remote Ayrshire coastal setting. "We have a good dialogue with the venue and remain open‑minded," Darbon said, "but until the infrastructure issues are addressed, we cannot commit to Turnberry." Muirfield, another historic Scottish club, was also left out of the R&A’s immediate schedule. The course last hosted the Open in 2013 when Phil Mickelson won by three strokes.
Former R&A chief Martin Slumbers noted in 2016 that Muirfield would not be considered again until it lifted its ban on female members. Although the club voted to admit women in 2017, it still has not re‑entered the rotation, even after Rory McIlroy publicly urged the governing body to reconsider. The next realistic opportunity for Muirfield appears to be 2031, after the neighboring Renaissance Club completes its tenure as host of the Genesis Scottish Open.
Royal Lytham & St Annes, meanwhile, will enjoy a spotlight not only for the men's Open but also for the AIG Women’s Open, scheduled for late July to early August 2028. Tim Walker, chairman of the club’s council, expressed pride in being chosen for the 156th Open, noting that the announcement coincides with the centenary of Bobby Jones’s 1926 victory and the granting of the club’s Royal charter.
He added that the venue looks forward to welcoming the world’s top players and a global audience to England’s historic golf coast. The Open’s return to Lytham will add to a distinguished roll of champions that includes Bobby Jones, Bobby Locke, Peter Thomson, Sir Bob Charles, Tony Jacklin, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, Tom Lehman and David Duval.
Darbon highlighted the course’s reputation as one of the finest links in the world and emphasized the tournament’s deep heritage, tracing its first Open at Lytham back to 1926. Turnberry’s Ailsa Course, which has hosted the Open four times, most recently in 2009 when Stewart Cink claimed the title, remains a beloved but problematic option.
The remote location on the Ayrshire coast means that the R&A worries the event’s focus could shift away from the golf itself toward political and logistical distractions. In 2021 the R&A publicly stated that it had no plans to stage any championships at Turnberry in the foreseeable future, citing concerns that the venue would not allow the tournament to centre on the players, the course, and the competition. The issue resurfaced in 2025 when Eric Trump met with R&A officials.
While the discussion was described as constructive, Darbon reiterated that the core obstacles—insufficient road, rail and lodging infrastructure—must be solved before Turnberry can re‑enter the rota. He added that the R&A has kept an open line of communication with the Trump golf organisation, but the logistical hurdles remain "big". Government involvement has also been mentioned. A Guardian report from 2025 indicated that a spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s office had approached the R&A to suggest Turnberry for the 2028 Open, but the governing body stressed its independence in venue selection and reiterated the logistical concerns to officials.
Ticket demand for the Open continues to surge. Over one million applications were received for the 2026 Open at Royal Birkdale, and the 2025 edition at Royal Portrush set an attendance record with 278,000 spectators across four days—the highest figure for any Open outside St Andrews.
These numbers illustrate the massive scale of the event and reinforce why the R&A insists on venues that can accommodate such crowds without compromising the championship’s integrity. Despite Turnberry’s current exclusion, the Trump golf portfolio remains active on the professional circuit.
The PGA Tour will soon travel to Trump National Doral in Miami for the inaugural Cadillac Championship, the fourth Signature Event of the 2026 season, broadcast live on Sky Sports. This event underscores the continued prominence of Trump‑owned courses in high‑profile tournaments, even as the Open remains out of reach. In summary, the 2028 Open will be staged at Royal Lytham & St Annes, a venue steeped in history and equipped to handle the logistical demands of a modern major. Turnberry, while celebrated for its scenic links and past Open triumphs, must address significant infrastructure challenges before it can re‑join the rotation.
Until those issues are resolved, the R&A will continue to prioritize venues that can deliver a seamless, player‑focused championship experience, ensuring the Open remains the premier event in the world of golf.