Donald Trump's Turnberry Golf Club will not be the venue for the next Open Championship, as the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club has been appointed to host the 156th Open in 2028. The 2024 Open will take place at Royal Birkdale, and the iconic links at St Andrews are slated to welcome the tournament in 2027. Turnberry, which has long campaigned for a place on the Open rota, remains sidelined for the foreseeable future while a series of logistical and financial hurdles are addressed. R&A Chief Executive Mark Darbon explained to Sky Sports that the scale of a modern Open demands robust road, rail and accommodation networks, and Turnberry’s remote Ayrshire location makes it difficult to meet those requirements.
"We have an open dialogue with the venue and will keep the conversation going," Darbon said, adding that the club’s challenges are not just about the course but also about the surrounding infrastructure. Muirfield, another historic Scottish venue, also remains off the immediate schedule.
The last time it hosted the Open was in 2013, when Phil Mickelson claimed the Claret Jug. 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 in 2017 to admit women, it still has not been reinstated on the rotation, despite a public appeal from Rory McIlroy in early 2024.
The nearest major tournament, the Genesis Scottish Open, will occupy the neighboring Renaissance Club through 2030, meaning Muirfield is unlikely to return to the Open until at least 2031. Royal Lytham & St Annes will host the 2028 Open from August 3‑6, marking its first appearance since 2012, when Ernie Els lifted the Claret Jug for the second time. The course has a storied 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 praised the venue, saying, "Royal Lytham & St Annes is widely renowned as one of the world’s finest links courses and has witnessed many great championship moments since the Open first arrived in 1926." He added that the return to these historic links will generate huge interest among fans and celebrate the traditions of golf’s original championship. Tim Walker, chairman of the council at Royal Lytham & St Annes, expressed pride in the selection, noting that the announcement coincides with the centenary of Bobby Jones’s 1926 victory and the club’s receipt of Royal status. He said the club looks forward to welcoming the world’s top players and a global audience to England’s golf coast. 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, won by Scottie Scheffler at Royal Portrush, was the 153rd edition, and this year’s Open will be staged at Royal Birkdale from July 16‑19. In addition, Royal Lytham & St Annes will host the AIG Women’s Open from July 29 to August 2, with live coverage on Sky Sports.
President Donald Trump, who purchased Turnberry in April 2014, has long hoped the course would re‑enter the Open rotation. He reportedly appealed to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to secure the venue for 2028.
Turnberry’s Ailsa Course has hosted the Open four times, most recently in 2009 when Stewart Cink triumphed, drawing roughly 120,000 spectators across the four rounds. Despite its reputation as a premier links venue, the R&A cites the remote location and associated transport and accommodation constraints as major obstacles. In a 2021 statement, the R&A warned that a Turnberry Open would risk shifting focus away from the competition itself and onto political headlines surrounding the U.S. President.
That concern echoed after the PGA of America stripped Trump National Golf Club Bedminster of its right to host the 2022 PGA Championship. The R&A reiterated its stance, saying, "We have no plans to stage any of our championships at Turnberry and will not do so in the foreseeable future. We will not return until we are convinced that the focus will be on the championship, the players and the course itself." In 2025, Eric Trump met with R&A officials to discuss the venue. While the talks were described as positive, logistical and financial viability remained a sticking point.
Darbon said he would love to see the Open return to Turnberry but emphasized that without significant improvements to road, rail and lodging infrastructure, the venue cannot meet the scale of a modern major. "We had a really good discussion.
I think they understand clearly where we are coming from," he noted. The Guardian reported that a government spokesperson also contacted the R&A in 2025 to advocate for Turnberry in 2028, but the governing body stressed its independence from political pressure.
"We regularly engage with government and local authorities regarding venues," an R&A spokesperson told Sky Sports, adding that the logistical challenges have been clearly communicated. Ticket demand for the Open remains robust. Over one million applications were received for the 2026 Open at Royal Birkdale, and the 2025 Open at Royal Portrush set an attendance record with 278,000 spectators across four days – the highest figure outside St Andrews.
Darbon reiterated the R&A’s position: "We love the golf course but we have big logistical challenges. You see the scale of their set‑up here and we have work to do on road, rail and accommodation infrastructure." Meanwhile, the PGA Tour will head to Trump National Doral in Miami for the inaugural Cadillac Championship, the fourth Signature Event of the 2026 season, with live Sky Sports coverage. Golf fans can watch all four rounds of the Cadillac Championship at Donald Trump’s Miami course starting Thursday at 4 pm on Sky Sports Golf, or stream without a contract. In summary, while Turnberry remains a coveted venue for many supporters, the combination of remote geography, infrastructure deficits and the desire to keep the spotlight on the sport rather than political figures means the R&A will continue to prioritize more accessible links courses such as Royal Lytham & St Annes for the upcoming Open Championships.