In April, senior Whitehall officials reportedly asked R&A bosses if they could host The Open Championship in 2028 at Donald Trump’s Turnberry course, following repeated requests from the U.S. President. At that time, one source close to him stated, “One concrete thing is that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport [DCMS] have been involved in pushing for the Open to return to Trump-owned Turnberry.” However, as per recent reports, President Donald Trump might have to wait a little more, following R&A’s latest announcement.

On Wednesday, ahead of The Open Championship 2025 at Royal Portrush, Mark Darbon, the R&A’s new chief executive, said, “We love the golf course but we’ve got some big logistical challenges there.” Darbon explained, “You see the scale of their setup here and we’ve got some work to do on the road, rail and accommodation infrastructure around Turnberry. We’ve explicitly not taken it out of our pool of venues but we’d need to address those logistical challenges should we return.”

Although Darbon stated, “Unless we address the logistical challenges, it’s difficult for us to go back,” the R&A is also keeping Portmarnock (Ireland) in consideration for The Open Championship in 2028. However, this isn’t the first time the R&A has stated issues with Turnberry. In April of this season, Darbon stated, “We’re doing some feasibility work around what it would look like to return to that venue and the investment that it would require.”

On the other hand, while talking about the “wonderful links course [Portmarnock],” Darbon stated at the presser, “Yes, we are thinking about Portmarnock.” However, Portmarnock has never hosted The Open Championship, unlike Turnberry. The Ailsa Course at Turnberry has hosted The Open Championship four times, with the most recent event occurring in 2009 when Stewart Cink defeated Tom Watson in a playoff. Since President Trump purchased the course for approximately $60 million in April 2014, it has not hosted the tournament. Despite the history, there are some drawbacks to hosting The Open at Turnberry.

The course is roughly a 30-minute drive from Ayr, the nearest sizable town, and while there’s limited train service to Girvan, it’s still a 10-minute drive from there to the course. Aside from that, in 2009, when the course hosted The Open, it could accommodate only 123,000 fans through the week. In contrast, Royal Portrush this season is expected to host 280,000 spectators.

Muirfield, another esteemed Scottish links course, has also been overlooked by the R&A for hosting The Open Championship. Despite its rich history, having hosted 16 The Opens, including one as recently as 2013, the course has not been selected for the tournament since. The last Muirfield The Open (2013) hosted only 142,000 spectators.

On the other hand, if Portmarnock were to host The Open Championship, it would be a historic milestone as the tournament’s first-ever outing outside the UK. This esteemed Dublin links course has recent experience hosting major R&A events, including the 2024 Women’s Amateur Championship and the 2019 Men’s Amateur Championship.

In fact, Portmarnock has a rich history of hosting top-tier golf events, having welcomed the Irish Open 19 times, with a notable streak of hosting the tournament almost every year between 1976 and 1990, with the most recent being in 2003. Currently, only two golf courses are confirmed to host The Open Championship in 2026 and 2027: Royal Birkdale and St Andrews, respectively.

And although we will still have to wait for The Open to come to Turnberry, the Donald Trump course has seen one of the most iconic Tom Watson’s gameplays.

In 2009, Tom Watson just missed out on being the oldest major champion

In 2009, The Open Championship at Turnberry was a moment that will be etched in golf fans’ memories forever. Tom Watson, then 59 years old, was on the cusp of pulling off a historic comeback, leading the tournament after each of the first three rounds. Despite the brutal weather conditions, Watson played some of the best golf of his life, and the galleries were electric on Sunday morning as he walked to the first tee.

On Sunday, the atmosphere was electric as Watson, paired with Mathew Goggin, stepped onto the first tee. For 17 holes, he played with the poise and skill of a champion. Watson’s charge was remarkable, and he birdied the 17th hole in the final round to take the lead. However, his approach shot on the 18th hole proved to be the decisive moment.

Watson hit a beautiful shot that was heading straight for the flag, but it caught a gust of wind and sailed over the green. “It landed right where I wanted it to,” Watson said. “It just didn’t have enough spin on it to stop the ball, but it was coming down right on the flag. It was coming down right on the flag just like it was in ’77.” Watson ultimately fell short, losing to Stewart Cink in a four-hole playoff. Had he achieved the win, he would have become the oldest major champion at 59.

So, even if Turnberry isn’t scheduled to host The Open Championship anytime soon, the course will likely continue to hold meaningful memories for a long time.