Donald Trump's Turnberry Golf Club will not be part of the Open Championship rotation in the near term, as the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club has been confirmed as the venue for the 156th Open in 2028. The 2024 edition of the Open will be staged at Royal Birkdale, while the historic links at St Andrews are slated to host the 2027 tournament. Turnberry, owned by the former U.S. president since its 2014 purchase, has long campaigned for a return to the Open rota, but the R&A has indicated that significant logistical and financial hurdles must be overcome before the course can be reconsidered.
Current R&A chief executive Mark Darbon explained to Sky Sports that the "scale of a modern Open championship" places heavy demands on road, rail and accommodation networks, and Turnberry’s remote position on the Ayrshire coast makes it difficult to meet those requirements. "We have a good dialogue with the venue, we are open‑minded and will keep the conversation going," Darbon said, adding that the club would need to demonstrate that the focus could remain on the players and the course rather than on external political considerations. The decision also means that Muirfield, another storied Scottish venue, remains outside the immediate rotation.
The last time Muirfield hosted the Open was in 2013, when Phil Mickelson captured the Claret Jug. Former R&A chief Martin Slumbers noted in 2016 that the club’s exclusion was tied to its policy of excluding women from membership.
Although Muirfield members voted in 2017 to admit female golfers, the course has yet to be re‑added to the rota, even after a public appeal from Rory McIlroy in early 2024. The R&A indicated that Muirfield is unlikely to feature again until at least 2031, partly because the neighboring Renaissance Club will host 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 there. The course boasts a distinguished list of champions, including Bobby Jones, Bobby Locke, Peter Thomson, Sir Bob Charles, Tony Jacklin, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, Tom Lehman and David Duval.
Darbon praised the venue as "one of the world’s finest links courses" and highlighted its historic moments dating back to Bobby Jones’s 1926 victory. He added that the return to these "cherished and historic" links will generate enormous excitement among fans and celebrate the deep traditions of golf’s original championship. Tim Walker, chairman of the council at Royal Lytham & St Annes, expressed pride in being chosen for the 156th Open, noting the timing coincides with the centenary of Bobby Jones’s 1926 triumph and the club’s recent acquisition of Royal status. He looked forward to welcoming the world’s top players and a global audience to England’s coastal links.
The R&A’s decision to move the Open back to August in 2028 also avoids a clash with the Los Angeles Olympic Games later that summer. In 2025, Scottie Scheffler won the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush, securing his fourth major and first Claret Jug. This year’s Open will be contested at Royal Birkdale from July 16‑19, while Lytham will also host the AIG Women’s Open from July 29‑August 2, broadcast live on Sky Sports. Trump has long hoped that Turnberry could re‑enter the Open rotation.
After acquiring the resort, he reportedly lobbied Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to secure a future Open at the south‑Ayrshire venue. Turnberry’s Ailsa Course has hosted the Open four times, most recently when Stewart Cink won in 2009, drawing roughly 120,000 spectators over the four rounds.
Despite its reputation as a premier links course, the R&A maintains that the site’s isolation would shift attention away from the competition itself. In a 2021 statement, the R&A said it had "no plans to stage any of our championships at Turnberry in the foreseeable future" and emphasized the need for the focus to remain on the championship, the players and the course. The issue resurfaced in 2025 when Eric Trump met with R&A officials. While the discussion was described as "positive," the core logistical concerns remained unresolved.
Darbon reiterated that he would "love" to see the Open return to Turnberry, but without substantial improvements to transport and accommodation infrastructure, the venue cannot meet the standards required for a modern major. He noted that the R&A has communicated these challenges to the UK government, which is aware of the situation but does not influence the R&A’s independent venue decisions. Ticket demand for the Open 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 patrons across four days—the highest outside St Andrews.
Meanwhile, the PGA Tour will shift its focus to Trump National Doral in Miami for the inaugural Cadillac Championship, the fourth Signature Event of the 2026 season, broadcast live on Sky Sports. This tournament underscores the ongoing relationship between the Trump golf brand and professional golf, even as Turnberry remains out of the Open picture. In summary, while Royal Lytham & St Annes prepares to welcome the world’s best golfers in 2028, Donald Trump’s Turnberry must address significant logistical, financial and perception challenges before it can re‑join the Open Championship rotation. Until those issues are resolved, the historic links of England and Scotland will continue to dominate the Open’s future venues.