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 selected to host the 156th Open in 2028. The 2024 edition of the tournament will take place at Royal Birkdale, and the historic "Home of Golf" at St Andrews is slated to welcome the Open in 2027. Turnberry, which has long campaigned for a place on the Open rota, remains out of the picture for the foreseeable future. The R&A has repeatedly cited a series of logistical hurdles that would need to be resolved before the course could be considered viable for a major championship.
Current R&A Chief Executive Mark Darbon explained to Sky Sports that the scale of a modern Open demands a robust road, rail and accommodation network, and Turnberry's remote Ayrshire location presents significant challenges. "The challenge at Turnberry is a logistical challenge," Darbon said. "You see the scale of a modern Open championship – the road, rail and accommodation network around that venue is challenging to deliver what we now deliver. We have a good dialogue with the venue, we're open‑minded, we'll maintain that dialogue and see where we get." Muirfield, another storied Scottish links, has also been left out of the R&A's immediate plans.
The club last hosted the Open in 2013, when Phil Mickelson claimed the Claret Jug. In 2016, former R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers noted that Muirfield would not be considered until it lifted its ban on female members. Although the club voted to admit women in 2017, it has yet to regain a slot on the Open rotation, despite a public appeal from Rory McIlroy in early 2024.
The next realistic opportunity for Muirfield appears to be 2031, after the neighboring Renaissance Club has secured the Genesis Scottish Open through 2030. The 2028 Open will be played from 3 August to 6 August at Royal Lytham & St Annes, marking the course's first appearance since 2012, when Ernie Els lifted the Claret Jug for the second time.
Lytham has 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 praised the venue, stating, "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 was first played there in 1926 when the legendary Bobby Jones won. This is one of golf's most cherished and historic venues and The Open's return to these famous links will spark huge interest among fans to be part of one of the world's great sporting events and celebrate the rich traditions of golf's original Championship." Tim Walker, chairman of the council at Royal Lytham & St Annes, echoed the sentiment: "We are honoured to be chosen as the host venue for The 156th Open in 2028. The club has a long and successful association with The Open, and we take great pride in our place within the Championship's history.
It is fitting that this announcement comes as we mark 100 years since Bobby Jones' victory here in 1926 and the granting of our Royal status. We look forward to welcoming the world's leading players, together with spectators and audiences from across the globe, to our links on England's golf coast." The R&A is moving the Open back to its traditional August slot 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 gave Scheffler his fourth major title. This year's Open will be staged at Royal Birkdale from 16 July to 19 July, while Lytham will also host the AIG Women's Open from 29 July to 2 August, both events televised on Sky Sports.
President Donald Trump has long expressed a desire to see Turnberry return to the Open rota. He purchased the Turnberry resort in April 2014 and reportedly appealed to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to secure the venue for the championship. Turnberry's Ailsa Course has hosted the Open four times, most recently in 2009 when Stewart Cink emerged victorious. The 2009 tournament attracted roughly 120,000 spectators across four days.
Despite its reputation as one of the premier courses in the British Isles, the R&A concluded that Turnberry's remote coastal setting would create logistical and financial strains that could distract from the competition itself. In a 2021 statement, the R&A noted concerns that a Turnberry Open would shift focus away from the sport and onto the political prominence of the U.S. President. This was shortly after the PGA of America revoked Trump National Golf Club Bedminster's right to host the 2022 PGA Championship.
The R&A reiterated its stance in a later release: "We had 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, and we do not believe that is achievable in the current circumstances." In 2025, Eric Trump met with R&A officials to discuss the venue. While the dialogue was described as positive, the core issue—logistical viability—remained unresolved. Darbon said he would "love" to see the Open back at Turnberry, but emphasized that without substantial improvements to road, rail and accommodation infrastructure, a return was unlikely.
"Unless we address the logistical challenges, it's difficult for us to go back," he told Sky Sports, adding that he had met with Eric Trump and the Turnberry leadership to explain the R&A's position. The Guardian reported that a government spokesperson also reached out to the R&A in 2025, urging the body to consider Turnberry for the 2028 Open.
The R&A clarified that venue decisions are independent of governmental input, though they do maintain regular communication with local authorities about infrastructure concerns. Ticket demand for upcoming Opens remains massive. Over one million applications were received for the 2026 Open at Royal Birkdale, and the 2025 event at Royal Portrush set a record with 278,000 spectators across four days—the highest attendance for an Open outside St Andrews. Despite the ongoing stalemate over Turnberry, the PGA Tour will head to Trump National Doral in Miami later this week for the inaugural Cadillac Championship, the fourth Signature Event of the 2026 season, broadcast live on Sky Sports.
Golf fans can watch all four rounds of the Cadillac Championship from Thursday at 4 pm on Sky Sports Golf, or stream the coverage without a contract. In summary, while Trump's Turnberry remains a coveted but currently unattainable venue for the Open Championship, the R&A has confirmed Royal Lytham & St Annes as the 2028 host. The organization continues to balance tradition, logistical practicality, and the desire to showcase the sport's finest links courses, ensuring that future Opens remain true to the championship's storied heritage.