Whitehall officials 'spoke to golf authorities about holding Open at Trump Turnberry' after US president pestered Keir Starmer
Government officials have reportedly been 'pushing' for one of golf's biggest events to be held at one of Donald Trump 's courses in Scotland.
Discussions are said to have taken place with the Royal & Ancient about Trump Turnberry in Ayrshire, which the president wants to host the 2028 Open Championship.
The Guardian reported that Trump repeatedly asked Keir Starmer to intervene when they met at the White House earlier this year.
A source told the paper: 'The government is doing everything it can to get close to Trump.
'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.'
Golf-mad Trump and his son Eric have both lobbied the R&A to allow them to host the event, one of golf's four 'majors' at the links course.
But trying to help an elected president with one of his private business ventures while he is in office - and as the UK seeks a trade deal with the United States - may raise eyebrows.
A source told MailOnline that DCMS officials had not asked the R&A to use Turnberry for the Open, adding: 'Sport operates independently of Government, and decisions on tournament hosting venues are rightly a matter for the relevant sporting bodies.'
The Open was last held at Turnberry in 2009, five years before Trump paid a reported $60million to acquire it.
The R&A said it would not host the tournament there in the wake of the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill in 2021.
It now says it also needs mayor investment and improvements before being considered.
A spokesman for the R&A told the Guardian: 'We regularly engage with government and local government regarding venues.
'We have explained the logistical challenges around Turnberry to the government and they are aware of the position.'
In March, R&A chief executive Mark Darbon said the venue would be stretched to cater for the modern-day demands of the tournament.
Speaking to Sky News, he said Turnberry had a number of issues which went against it adding: 'The area where there's a bit of challenge is around the logistical and commercial side.
'The last time we were at Turnberry in 2009 we had 120,000 people there.'
He went on: 'These days a modern Open caters for 250,000 people-plus, and so we need the road and rail infrastructure to get our fan base there.
'We need hotel accommodation for the 60,000 bed nights we need to stage our championship and it's challenging at that venue.'
The venue, on the Ayrshire coast south two hours drive from Glasgow, is accessible mainly via single carriageways from north and south.
Its hotel has 204 rooms and, during the last Open in 2009, hundreds of homeowners within a 20-mile radius rented out their properties for small fortunes.
The site has also become a focus for anti-Trump protests. Yesterday police arrested and charged a seventh person in connection with damage at the golf course.
The 27-year-old woman was arrested and charged in Ayr on Sunday and is expected to appear at Ayr Sheriff Court in due course.
Police were called to the Trump Turnberry course on Maidens Road, Turnberry, South Ayrshire, at about 4.40am on March 8 when red paint was sprayed on the clubhouse and damage was also caused to the greens.
Six people have previously appeared at the same court charged with malicious mischief in connection with the incident.
Autumn Ward, 21, from Liverpool; Ricky Southall, 33, of Wakefield, West Yorkshire; Umza Bashir, 55, of Leeds; and Kieran Robson, 33, of Galashiels in the Scottish Borders, and Geoffrey Bush, 75, and Elizabeth Crerar-Brown, 66, both from Oban, Argyll and Bute, all made no pleas, were committed for further examination and released on bail pending a further court appearance.
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