Donald Trump's Turnberry Golf Club will not be the venue for the next Open Championship, as the R&A has confirmed that Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club will host the 156th Open in 2028. The 2024 edition of the tournament will be staged at Royal Birkdale, and the historic links at St Andrews are slated to welcome the championship in 2027. While Turnberry has long campaigned for a place on the Open rota, the club faces a series of logistical and financial hurdles that prevent it from being selected in the near term.
Mark Darbon, the current chief executive of the R&A, explained to Sky Sports that Turnberry presents a "logistical challenge" for a modern major. He noted that the scale of today’s Open demands robust road, rail and accommodation networks, and that Turnberry’s remote position on the Ayrshire coast makes it difficult to meet those requirements. "We have a good dialogue with the venue and we remain open‑minded," Darbon said, adding that the conversation will continue but that any future inclusion will depend on concrete improvements to infrastructure. Muirfield, another storied Scottish club, was also omitted from the R&A’s immediate plans.
The course last hosted the Open in 2013, when Phil Mickelson captured the Claret Jug. Former R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers had previously stated 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 Open rotation, despite public appeals from players such as Rory McIlroy. The next realistic opportunity for Muirfield appears to be 2031, after the neighboring Renaissance Club has secured the Genesis Scottish Open through 2030. Royal Lytham & St Annes will host the 2028 Open from August 3‑6, marking its first turn as host since 2012, when Ernie Els won his second Claret Jug there.
The links have 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, 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 was first played there in 1926.
This is one of golf’s most cherished and historic venues, and its return will spark huge interest among fans and celebrate the rich traditions of the original Championship." Tim Walker, chairman of the council at Royal Lytham & St Annes, echoed that 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 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 was won by Scottie Scheffler at Royal Portrush, giving him his fourth major title. This year’s Open will be held at Royal Birkdale from July 16‑19, while Lytham will also stage the AIG Women’s Open from July 29‑August 2. Donald Trump, who purchased Turnberry in April 2014, has long hoped the resort would re‑enter the Open rotation.
He has reportedly appealed to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for the venue’s inclusion. Turnberry’s Ailsa Course has hosted the Open four times, most recently in 2009 when Stewart Cink claimed victory. That tournament attracted roughly 120,000 spectators over four days.
Despite the course’s pedigree, the R&A remains concerned that the focus would shift from the sport to the political profile of the U.S. president, especially after the PGA of America removed Trump National Golf Club Bedminster from the 2022 PGA Championship. In a 2021 statement, the R&A said, "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." A meeting in 2025 between Eric Trump and R&A officials was described as constructive, but the core issue—logistical viability—remained unresolved.
Darbon acknowledged that he would love to see the Open return to Turnberry, yet emphasized that without significant upgrades to transport and accommodation, the venue cannot meet the demands of a modern major. "Unless we address the logistical challenges, it’s difficult for us to go back," he said, adding that the dialogue with Trump’s team is ongoing. The Guardian reported that a government spokesperson also lobbied the R&A to consider Turnberry for 2028, but the governing body clarified that its venue decisions are independent of political pressure. "We regularly engage with government and local authorities regarding venues," an R&A spokesperson told Sky Sports in 2025, "and we have explained the logistical challenges around Turnberry to the government." Ticket demand for the Open continues to surge.
Over one million applications were received for the 2026 Open at Royal Birkdale, while the 2025 event at Royal Portrush set an attendance record with 278,000 spectators across four days—the highest figure for any Open outside St Andrews. Despite Turnberry’s current exclusion from the Open rota, 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 watch all four rounds of the Cadillac Championship from Thursday at 4 p.m. on Sky Sports Golf, or stream the coverage without a contract. In summary, while Turnberry remains a world‑class links course, the R&A’s priority is to ensure that the Open Championship is delivered on venues that can support the massive logistical, financial and media demands of a global sporting event. Royal Lytham & St Annes, with its proven infrastructure and historic significance, fits that bill for 2028, while Turnberry will need to address road, rail and accommodation shortcomings before it can be reconsidered for future Opens.