Donald Trump’s Turnberry Golf Club will not be the venue for The Open Championship in the near term, as the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club has been confirmed as the host for the 156th Open in 2028. The 2024 edition of the tournament will be staged at Royal Birkdale, and the iconic "Home of Golf" at St Andrews is slated to welcome the championship again in 2027. Turnberry, which has long campaigned for a place on the Open rotation, remains on the sidelines while a series of logistical and financial hurdles must be resolved before it can be reconsidered.
R&A Chief Executive Mark Darbon explained to Sky Sports that the difficulty lies not in the quality of the course but in the surrounding infrastructure. He said, "The scale of a modern Open is massive – you need robust road, rail and accommodation networks, and Turnberry’s remote Ayrshire location makes that a real challenge." The R&A emphasized that it maintains an open dialogue with the Turnberry management team, hoping that future improvements could eventually make the venue viable. "We’re talking with them, we’re open‑minded, and we’ll see where that leads," Darbon added.
Muirfield, another historic Scottish club, was also left out of the R&A’s immediate plans. The last time Muirfield hosted The Open was in 2013, when Phil Mickelson secured the Claret Jug. In 2016, former R&A chief Martin Slumbers stated that Muirfield would not be considered again until the club lifted its ban on female members. Although the club voted in 2017 to allow women to apply for membership, it still has not been re‑added to the Open rota, despite a public appeal from Rory McIlroy in early 2024.
The next realistic window for Muirfield appears to be 2031, after the neighboring Renaissance Club has been awarded the Genesis Scottish Open through 2030. The 2028 Open will return to Royal Lytham & St Annes for the first time since 2012, when Ernie Els claimed his second Claret Jug on those links. The course boasts 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, noting, "Royal Lytham & St Annes is widely regarded as one of the world’s finest links courses and has produced countless memorable moments since Bobby Jones first won there in 1926.
Its historic character will undoubtedly draw huge interest from fans worldwide." Tim Walker, chairman of the council at Royal Lytham & St Annes, echoed that sentiment: "We are honoured to be selected as the host for the 156th Open. The club’s long‑standing relationship with the championship and the centenary of Bobby Jones’s 1926 victory make this a particularly special announcement.
We look forward to welcoming the world’s best players and their supporters to England’s premier golfing coast." The R&A is moving the 2028 Open back to its traditional August slot to avoid a clash with the Los Angeles Olympic Games later that summer. The 2025 Open, won by Scottie Scheffler at Royal Portrush, was the 153rd edition and marked Scheffler’s 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 also host the AIG Women’s Open from July 29 to August 2, both events televised live on Sky Sports.
President Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to see Turnberry re‑enter the Open rotation. He purchased the resort in April 2014 and, according to reports, has approached Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer about securing the 2028 slot for the Scottish venue. Turnberry’s Ailsa Course has previously hosted The Open four times, most recently in 2009 when Stewart Cink triumphed. Over the four‑day tournament, roughly 120,000 spectators attended.
Despite Turnberry’s reputation as a top‑tier course, the R&A remains concerned that the event’s focus would shift from the sport to political headlines surrounding the U.S. president. In 2021 the organization voiced these reservations, noting that the remote location would strain road, rail and lodging capacity and could detract from the championship itself.
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. In a 2025 R&A statement the body made clear its stance: "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, and we do not believe that is achievable under current circumstances." Later that year, Eric Trump met with R&A officials to discuss the venue.
While the conversation was described as constructive, the core issue – Turnberry’s logistical viability – remained unresolved. Darbon said he would "love" to see the Open back at Turnberry, but reiterated that without significant improvements to transport and accommodation infrastructure, a return is unlikely. "We had a good discussion and they understand where we’re coming from," he told Sky Sports, adding that the R&A continues to engage with government bodies about the challenges.
The Guardian reported that a senior government spokesperson had also reached out to the R&A in 2025, urging the organization to consider Turnberry for 2028. The R&A clarified that venue decisions are independent of political pressure, though they do keep local and national authorities informed about infrastructure concerns. Ticket demand for recent Opens has been staggering. Over one million applications were received for the 2026 Open at Royal Birkdale, and the 2025 tournament at Royal Portrush set an attendance record with 278,000 visitors across four days – the highest figure for any Open 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, with live coverage on Sky Sports. This event highlights the continued commercial partnership between the Trump golf brand and major tour organizers, even as Turnberry remains sidelined from the Open rotation.
In summary, while Turnberry’s Ailsa Course remains a world‑class links venue, the R&A’s priority is to ensure that The Open remains a pure celebration of golf, free from logistical complications and external distractions. For now, Royal Lytham & St Annes will host the 2028 championship, offering fans a historic setting and a reminder of the tournament’s deep roots in British golf tradition.