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 host the 156th Open in 2028. The 2024 edition will take place at Royal Birkdale, and the tournament will move back to the historic links at St Andrews in 2027.
Turnberry, which has long campaigned for a place on the Open rota, remains off the schedule for the foreseeable future. The R&A has repeatedly cited a series of logistical hurdles that must be resolved before the Scottish resort can be considered again. "The challenge at Turnberry is a logistical challenge," said Mark Darbon, the current chief executive of the R&A, during an interview with Sky Sports on Monday.
"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've got a good dialogue with the venue, we're open‑minded, we'll maintain that dialogue and see where we get." Muirfield, another storied Scottish club, was also left out of the R&A's short‑term plans. The course last hosted the Open in 2013, when Phil Mickelson secured a three‑shot victory to lift the Claret Jug.
Former R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers explained in 2016 that Muirfield would not return until the club abandoned its ban on female members. Although the membership policy changed in 2017, the venue still has not been re‑added to the rotation, despite a public appeal from Rory McIlroy earlier this year. The nearest Open at Muirfield is now projected for at least 2031, after the neighboring Renaissance Club was awarded 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 captured his second Claret Jug there. 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, added: "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 at Royal Portrush was won by Scottie Scheffler, who claimed his fourth major and first Claret Jug. 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, broadcast live on Sky Sports.
President Donald Trump, who purchased Turnberry in April 2014, has long hoped the resort would re‑enter the Open rotation. He has reportedly lobbied Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to secure the 2028 slot for the south‑Ayrshire venue.
Turnberry's Ailsa Course has hosted the Open four times, most recently in 2009 when Stewart Cink triumphed. Over the four rounds, roughly 120,000 spectators attended. Despite its reputation as a premier links course, the R&A believes Turnberry presents significant logistical and financial challenges because of its remote coastal location.
In a 2021 statement, the R&A expressed concern that a Turnberry Open would shift focus away from the competition itself and onto the political profile of the U.S. president who owns the property. That comment followed the PGA of America’s decision to strip Trump National Golf Club Bedminster of its right to host the 2022 PGA Championship.
"We had no plans to stage any of our championships at Turnberry and will not do so in the foreseeable future," the R&A said at the time. "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 further. While the dialogue was described as positive, the core issue of logistics remained. Darbon said he would "love" to see the Open return to Turnberry, but reiterated that the course is not presently viable from a logistical or financial standpoint.
"Unless we address the logistical challenges, it's difficult for us to go back. I met a couple of months ago with Eric Trump and some of the leadership from the Trump golf organisation from Turnberry. We had a really good discussion. I think they understand clearly where we are coming from.
We talked through some of the challenges that we have, so we have a good dialogue with them," he explained. The Guardian reported in 2025 that a spokesperson from the Prime Minister’s office had also reached out to the R&A, urging that Turnberry be considered for the 2028 Open.
The R&A clarified that venue selection is independent of government influence. "We regularly engage with government and local government regarding venues," an R&A spokesperson told Sky Sports in 2025. "We have explained the logistical challenges around Turnberry to the government, and they are aware of the position." Ticket demand for upcoming Opens remains enormous. 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.
Darbon summed up the R&A’s stance: "I think we've been extremely clear on our position in respect of Turnberry. We love the golf course but we've got some big logistical challenges there. You see the scale of their set‑up here and we've got some work to do on the road, rail and accommodation infrastructure." 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.
Golf fans can watch all four rounds of the Cadillac Championship from Thursday at 4 pm on Sky Sports Golf, or stream without a contract. In summary, while Turnberry remains a beloved links course and a frequent wish‑list item for Trump and his supporters, the R&A’s current priority is ensuring that future Opens are staged at venues with robust transport links, ample accommodation and the capacity to host tens of thousands of spectators without compromising the integrity of the competition. Royal Lytham & St Annes, with its storied history and proven infrastructure, fits that bill for 2028, and the championship will return to its traditional August calendar to avoid Olympic overlap. The Open’s future rotation will continue to balance heritage, accessibility, and the practical demands of a modern major tournament.