Despite allegations that US President Donald Trump has repeatedly asked Sir Keir Starmer to host golf’s oldest major at his Turnberry course in 2028, Downing Street maintains that the choice of Open hosts is up to the organisers.
US President Donald Trump has on several occasions asked UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to consider staging golf’s oldest major, The Open Championship, at his Turnberry resort in Scotland in 2028. These approaches have prompted talks between the R&A (the governing body of the tournament) and UK government ministers, including Whitehall and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, regarding the practicality of hosting the event at Turnberry
While stating that it was independent of the government, the prime minister’s official spokesperson did not deny that Whitehall officials had contacted the R&A, the organisation that hosts the Open Championship, regarding holding the event at Trump Turnberry.
“I wouldn’t get into specific conversations, but sporting bodies, not the government, should make decisions about tournament venues,”
he stated.
It goes without saying that the government often communicates with athletic associations regarding competitions, but not in any other way.
He went on to say:
“It is obviously appropriate and normal for the government to interact with the organisers of major athletic events as part of its business, but the relevant sporting bodies should make decisions regarding tournament hosting locations.”
“I’m not going to go beyond the readouts that you’ve got on their conversations,”
Trump remarked when asked if he had discussed with the Prime Minister the idea of holding the 2028 tournament at Turnberry, which last hosted the Open in 2009, as reported by the Guardian. However, the main idea is that the appropriate athletic organisations should make the decisions about tournament locations.
“We regularly engage with Government and local government regarding venues,” stated an R&A spokesperson. The government is aware of the situation after we informed them of the logistical difficulties around Turnberry.
Accommodations and road and rail connections are seen to be the main obstacles to holding the Open in Turnberry. More than twice as many fans—278,000—are expected to attend this year’s event at Royal Portrush, which drew 120,000 in 2009.
