Donald Trump’s Turnberry Golf Club will not be hosting The Open Championship in the near term after the R&A announced that Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club has been selected to stage the 156th Open in 2028. The 2024 edition of the tournament will take place at Royal Birkdale, and the historic links at St Andrews are slated to host the 2027 Open, returning the championship to its traditional home.
Turnberry, which has long campaigned for a place on the Open rotation, remains on the sidelines while a series of logistical and financial hurdles continue to block its inclusion. Current R&A chief executive Mark Darbon explained to Sky Sports that the challenges are not merely theoretical.
"The scale of a modern Open is massive – you need a robust road, rail and accommodation network to support the thousands of spectators, media, officials and players. Turnberry’s remote position on the Ayrshire coast makes it difficult to deliver the infrastructure that the championship now demands," he said. The R&A emphasized that dialogue with the Turnberry owners remains open. "We have a constructive conversation with the venue and we are willing to keep the lines of communication open.
If the logistical issues can be resolved, there is no reason why Turnberry could not be reconsidered in the future," Darbon added. Muirfield, another storied Scottish club, also finds itself out of the immediate rotation. The last time it hosted The Open was in 2013, when Phil Mickelson captured the Claret Jug by three strokes. Former R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers noted in 2016 that Muirfield would not be eligible until it lifted its ban on female members.
Although the club voted to admit women in 2017, it has still not been re‑added to the schedule, even after a high‑profile appeal from Rory McIlroy in early 2024. 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 on the links.
The course boasts a distinguished roll of champions that includes legends such as 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 universally regarded as one of the finest links courses in the world.
Its rich history, dating back to the inaugural Open held there in 1926, makes it a natural fit for the championship and will generate enormous excitement among fans worldwide." Tim Walker, chairman of the council at Royal Lytham & St Annes, echoed that sentiment: "We are deeply honoured to be chosen as the host for the 156th Open. This announcement coincides with the centenary of Bobby Jones’s 1926 victory and the granting of our Royal charter. We look forward to welcoming the world’s elite golfers and a global audience to our historic links." The R&A’s decision to move the Open back to its traditional August slot in 2028 is intended to avoid a clash with the Los Angeles Olympic Games later that summer. The schedule shift also aligns with the broader calendar, as 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 Royal Lytham & St Annes will simultaneously host the AIG Women’s Open from July 29‑August 2, both events broadcast live on Sky Sports. Turnberry’s owner, former U.S. President Donald Trump, acquired the resort in April 2014 and has repeatedly lobbied for the course to re‑enter the Open rota.
He reportedly appealed to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to support Turnberry’s bid for 2028. The Ailsa Course at Turnberry has hosted The Open four times, most recently in 2009 when Stewart Cink claimed victory.
That tournament attracted roughly 120,000 spectators across four days, underscoring the venue’s capacity to draw crowds despite its remote location. Nevertheless, the R&A remains cautious. In a 2021 statement, the organization expressed concern that a Turnberry Open might become more about the political profile of its owner than about the sport itself. The same year, the PGA of America stripped Trump National Golf Club Bedminster of its right to host the 2022 PGA Championship, highlighting the broader sensitivities around Trump‑owned venues.
A formal R&A statement read, "We have no plans to stage any of our championships at Turnberry 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 under current circumstances." In 2025, Eric Trump met with R&A officials to discuss the venue. While the meeting was described as constructive, the core issue of logistics persisted.
Darbon later said he would "love" to see the Open back at Turnberry, but reiterated that without significant improvements to road, rail and accommodation infrastructure, the R&A cannot justify the move. "We had a very good discussion with Eric Trump and his team. They understand where we are coming from, but the logistical challenges remain a barrier," he explained. The Guardian reported that a government spokesperson also approached the R&A in 2025, urging the organization to consider Turnberry for 2028.
The R&A clarified that any decision about the Open’s venue is independent of political influence. "We regularly engage with national and local governments about venue matters, but the final decision rests on our assessment of the logistical feasibility and the integrity of the championship," an R&A spokesperson told Sky Sports. Ticket demand for upcoming Opens continues to surge.
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 visitors across four days – the highest figure for any Open outside St Andrews. Despite the setbacks for 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, with live coverage on Sky Sports Golf.
The tournament will showcase the Miami course from Thursday at 4 p.m., offering fans another high‑profile showcase of Trump‑owned facilities. In summary, while Turnberry remains a beloved and historic links course, the combination of remote geography, inadequate transport links, and the potential for political distraction means the R&A is unlikely to schedule The Open there until substantial infrastructure upgrades are made and the focus can be kept squarely on the sport. For now, the championship will continue its rotation among venues that can meet the modern logistical demands, with Royal Lytham & St Annes set to host the 2028 Open and provide fans with another memorable chapter in golf’s storied history.