Donald Trump's Turnberry Golf Club will not be staging The Open Championship in the near term, as the R&A has confirmed that Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club will host the 156th Open in 2028. The 2024 edition of the major will be held at Royal Birkdale, and the tournament will move back to its historic home at St Andrews in 2027. While Turnberry has long campaigned for a place in the Open rotation, a combination of logistical hurdles and financial concerns means it remains off the schedule for now.
The R&A’s chief executive, Mark Darbon, explained to Sky Sports that Turnberry presents a "logistical challenge" that is difficult to overcome. He noted that a modern Open demands extensive road, rail and accommodation infrastructure, and the remote Ayrshire location struggles to meet those requirements.
"We have a good dialogue with the venue and remain open‑minded," Darbon said, "but until the practical issues are resolved we cannot commit to Turnberry." Muirfield, another storied Scottish club, also remains absent from the immediate rota. The last time Muirfield hosted The Open was in 2013, when Phil Mickelson captured the Claret Jug. Former R&A chief Martin Slumbers had previously warned that the club would not be considered again until it lifted its ban on female members.
Although the club voted in 2017 to admit women, it still has not been reinstated in the Open schedule, despite lobbying from players such as Rory McIlroy. The nearest opportunity for Muirfield appears to be 2031, after the neighboring Renaissance Club secures the Genesis Scottish Open through 2030. Royal Lytham & St Annes will host the 2028 Open from August 3‑6, marking its first appearance since 2012 when Ernie Els won his second Claret Jug there.
The course boasts a distinguished list 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 praised the venue as "one of the world’s finest links courses" and highlighted its historic significance, noting that the first Open at Lytham was won by the legendary Bobby Jones in 1926. He added that the return to these iconic links will generate massive interest among fans eager to celebrate golf’s deep traditions. Tim Walker, chairman of the council at Royal Lytham & St Annes, expressed pride in being selected for the 156th Open.
He reflected on the centenary of Bobby Jones’s 1926 victory and the club’s royal charter, saying the announcement comes at a symbolic moment for the venue. Walker looked forward to welcoming the world’s top players and a global audience to England’s coastal links. The R&A is moving the Open back to August in 2028 to avoid a clash with the Los Angeles Olympic Games.
The 2025 Open at Royal Portrush was won by Scottie Scheffler, giving him his fourth major and first Claret Jug. This year’s Open will be contested at Royal Birkdale from July 16‑19, while Lytham will also stage the AIG Women’s Open from July 29‑August 2, both events broadcast live on Sky Sports.
President Donald Trump has long hoped that Turnberry could re‑enter the Open rotation. He purchased the resort in April 2014 and has reportedly appealed to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for the venue to be chosen. Turnberry’s Ailsa Course has hosted The Open four times, most recently in 2009 when Stewart Cink prevailed.
Over those four championships roughly 120,000 spectators attended. Despite its reputation as a premier course, the R&A believes Turnberry’s remote location would strain transport and accommodation capacity, potentially shifting focus away from the golf itself and onto political headlines. In 2021 the R&A voiced concerns that a Turnberry Open would become a platform for the U.S. President rather than a showcase of the sport.
The same year the PGA of America stripped Trump National Golf Club Bedminster of its right to host the 2022 PGA Championship, underscoring the broader governance challenges surrounding Trump‑owned venues. An official R&A statement reiterated that there were no plans to stage any championships at Turnberry in the foreseeable future, emphasizing the need for the event’s focus to remain on the players and the course.
In 2025 Eric Trump met with R&A officials to discuss the venue. While the conversation was described as “largely positive,” logistical and financial constraints remained a sticking point. Darbon said he would love to see Turnberry return, but stressed that without improvements to road, rail and lodging infrastructure, the R&A could not justify the move.
He noted that the organization regularly engages with national and local governments about venue issues, and that officials are aware of the challenges surrounding Turnberry. Ticket demand for recent Opens has been extraordinary.
Over one million applications were received for the 2026 Open at Royal Birkdale, and the 2025 Open at Royal Portrush set an attendance record of 278,000 spectators across four days – the highest outside St Andrews. These figures illustrate the scale of the event and reinforce why the R&A is cautious about selecting venues that cannot support such crowds. Meanwhile, the PGA Tour will travel to Trump National Doral in Miami for the inaugural Cadillac Championship, the fourth Signature Event of the 2026 season, with live coverage on Sky Sports.
This tournament highlights the continued commercial partnership between the Trump golf brand and major tours, even as Turnberry remains off the Open schedule. In summary, Royal Lytham & St Annes has secured the 2028 Open, reaffirming its status as a historic links venue, while Turnberry’s aspirations are stalled by logistical, financial and political considerations.
The R&A’s priority remains delivering a championship that showcases the sport, its players and the course itself, without distraction. As the calendar progresses, fans can look forward to a series of high‑profile majors across the United Kingdom and Ireland, each promising memorable moments on some of golf’s most revered terrain.