Who remembers Stewart Cink’s iconic playoff victory against Tom Watson after a tough and grueling four days of golf? Well, if you are one of the fans who remembers the majestic beauty of the golf course from that Open Championship in 2009, you will be a tad bit disappointed. Since 2009, the iconic Turnberry has not been used for The Open. And if you are miffed about it, you are on a special list populated by Brandel Chamblee.

“Played at @TrumpTurnberry today, where there hasn’t been an @TheOpen since 2009. It is arguably the best links course in the whole of the UK and inarguably one of the best courses in the world. Why does it seem that Turnberry is not on the Open rota anymore?” The former PGA Tour pro tweeted. The decision to not use Turnberry as The Open venue was made by the R&A, after the current United States president bought the course in 2014 to add to his big list of golf courses around the world.

Initially, their decision was just to not host any editions of the major at the Scotland-based venue, mostly due to its association with Trump. At that time, the Turnberry was in consideration for the 2020 Open Championship also, but the R&A decided against it. This was despite Trump’s efforts through the US Ambassador to Britain, Robert Johnson IV, in 2018, who was asked by the then-President to seek the British government’s help in bringing the major to Turnberry. But it was not to be. This left several golfers bereft of a sublime experience at an iconic course.

However, the new R&A chief, Mark Darbon, insists that Trump’s ownership is not the reason for the Open Championship’s absence at Turnberry. It has more to do with infrastructure. “At Turnberry, there are definitely some logistical and commercial challenges that we face around the road, rail, and accommodation infrastructure. We’re doing some feasibility work around what it would look like to return to that venue and the investment that it would require,” Darbon stated.

“A modern Open Championship is a large-scale event,” Darbon added. “What we know for sure is the golf course is brilliant, so at some point we’d love to be back there. We consistently work with our venues and their owners and operators to talk about what an Open Championship demands and how we work with them to bring that to life,” Darbon continued.

If Darbon’s words are true, Turnberry could be a part of the Tour pretty soon, much to the joy of several golfers. Brandel Chamblee is not the only one who has been able to appreciate and savor the beauty of the Turnberry course despite it not being featured on any major tours.

Major winners show love for the Turnberry course

One such person was celebrated South African golfer Gary Player. He explained, “It is not often that I stop to snap a photo on a green. But Turnberry is incredibly special and is a close second to Pine Valley in my top two courses on the planet.” This was after he spent some time golfing at the Southern Ayrshire venue in 2023.

Even Scottie Scheffler spent some fruitful time on the course as part of his preparations for the 2024 Open Championship. “Thanks for a great day here at Trump Turnberry. We had a lot of fun getting ready for the Open Championship next week. It was a good time; the golf course is in good shape. Thanks, all; appreciate it.” The world No. 1 stated. Scheffler ended up finishing T7 at the Royal Troon, missing out on the trophy by eight strokes.

Do you think the PGA Tour should listen to the big names and try to convince the R&A to include the Turnberry in future events?