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 stage the 156th Open in 2028. The 2024 edition will take place at Royal Birkdale, and the tournament will travel back to its historic home at St Andrews 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 that Turnberry’s remote Ayrshire location makes meeting those requirements challenging. "We have a constructive dialogue with the venue and remain open‑minded," Darbon said, "but until the infrastructure issues are resolved, the course cannot be part of the rotation." Muirfield also remains absent from the R&A’s short‑term plans.
The Scottish club last hosted the Open in 2013, when Phil Mickelson captured the Claret Jug. Former R&A chief Martin Slumbers noted in 2016 that Muirfield would only be reconsidered if it lifted its ban on female members. Although the club voted in 2017 to admit women, it has yet to secure a slot in the Open schedule, even after Rory McIlroy’s public appeal in early 2024. Current projections place Muirfield’s return no earlier than 2031, after its neighboring Renaissance Club completes its tenure as host of the Genesis Scottish Open in 2030.
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 a second time. The links have 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 celebrated worldwide as one of the finest links courses, and its history of dramatic championship moments dates back to the inaugural Open held there in 1926 when Bobby Jones triumphed. The return will generate massive excitement among fans and honour the deep traditions of golf’s original championship." Tim Walker, chairman of the council at Royal Lytham, echoed that sentiment: "We are honoured to be selected for the 156th Open. Our club’s long and successful association with the championship makes this a fitting tribute as we mark the centenary of Bobby Jones’s 1926 victory and the granting of our Royal status.
We look forward to welcoming the world’s top players and spectators to our historic links on England’s golf coast." The R&A is moving the Open back to its traditional August slot in 2028 to avoid clashing with the Los Angeles Olympic Games. The 2025 Open was won by Scottie Scheffler at Royal Portrush, giving him his fourth major and first Claret Jug. This year’s Open will be contested at Royal Birkdale from July 16‑19, while Royal Lytham will also stage the AIG Women’s Open from July 29‑August 2, both events broadcast live on Sky Sports.
President Trump has long hoped Turnberry could re‑enter the Open rotation. He purchased the resort in April 2014 and reportedly appealed to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for the venue’s selection.
Turnberry’s Ailsa Course has hosted the Open four times, most recently in 2009 when Stewart Cink claimed victory, drawing roughly 120,000 spectators across the four rounds. Despite its reputation as a premier course, the R&A remains concerned that the focus would shift from the sport to the political profile of the U.S. president, a point it raised in a 2021 statement. That concern was amplified after the PGA of America stripped Trump National Golf Club Bedminster of its right to host the 2022 PGA Championship.
An official R&A release made clear: "We have no plans to stage any of our championships at Turnberry in the foreseeable future. We will not return until we are convinced the focus will be on the championship, the players, and the course itself, which is not achievable under current circumstances." In 2025, Eric Trump met with R&A officials to discuss the venue. While the conversation was described as positive, the core issue of logistics persisted. Darbon said he would "love" to see the Open return to Turnberry but emphasized that without substantial improvements to road, rail and accommodation infrastructure, a comeback is unlikely.
He added, "We had a good discussion with Eric Trump and the Turnberry leadership; they understand where we are coming from, but the logistical challenges remain a barrier." The Guardian reported that a government spokesperson also approached the R&A in 2025, urging the inclusion of Turnberry for 2028. The R&A clarified that venue decisions are independent of political influence, noting that they regularly engage with local and national authorities to explain the logistical constraints. Ticket demand for the Open continues to soar. Over one million applications were received for the 2026 Open at Royal Birkdale, and the 2025 event at Royal Portrush set an attendance record with 278,000 spectators across four days—the highest outside St Andrews.
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, broadcast live on Sky Sports. Golf fans can follow the action from Thursday at 4 p.m.
on Sky Sports Golf, with streaming options available without a contract. In summary, while Turnberry remains a beloved course with a rich Open legacy, the R&A’s logistical and financial concerns keep it off the schedule for now.
Royal Lytham & St Annes will take centre stage in 2028, promising another chapter of historic moments on one of the world’s most revered links courses.