Donald Trump back in control of Turnberry golf course in Ayrshire
Donald Trump has taken back personal control of the company that runs the Turnberry golf course in Scotland, documents have revealed.
The US president stepped down as a director of Golf Recreation Scotland in 2017 after his first election and gave control over to a trust run by his family, with his eldest son, Donald Jr, being the person with significant control and his younger brother Eric the only director.
Companies House documents filed on Thursday show President Trump has now also been named as a person with significant control, having 'significant influence or control over the trustees of a trust'.
Kieran Maguire, a sports finance author, said: 'While he may be unhappy about not being able to be a member at Augusta, I'm sure Donald Trump will be delighted to formally return control to himself in relation to his British golf clubs.'
Golf Recreation Scotland, which made a £3.9million profit in 2023, was also threatened with a 'strike-off' notice for failing to file a confirmation statement, which reports details of shareholding, but that has now been submitted.
The 800-acre Turnberry estate in Ayrshire was bought by Trump for £39.5million in June 2014, five years after it last hosted the Open Championship.
The R&A is understood to have been asked by the government about its position on returning the tournament to Turnberry, but Whitehall insiders insist no pressure has been put on the organisers.
The new R&A chief executive, Mark Darbon, said this week that he 'would love' Turnberry to host the Open again but that there were logistical challenges around transport and accommodation, because the number of visitors to the tournament has grown so much.
New regulator's Starmer link and short temper
It cannot have harmed David Kogan 's chances of being appointed chairman of the new independent football regulator that he is close to Sir Keir Starmer, the prime minister, and other leading Labour Party figures.
Kogan, whose appointment was confirmed on Friday, has broad experience of the business of football through advising both the Premier League and the EFL on media rights sales since 2000, but he is not thought to have any particular club allegiance nor even be that much of a fan of the game.
Those who know him well say he has a short fuse and does not suffer fools gladly, so it will be interesting to see if sparks fly when he takes over the £130,000-a-year post on a three-days-a-week basis.
Arise, Sir Rory?
Rory McIlroy looks certain to receive a new honour to mark his triumph at the Masters, which completed a career grand slam, but the 35-year-old may have to wait until later in his career to get a knighthood.
The thinking around sporting honours now is to allow for progression, so McIlroy is likely to get an OBE to add to the MBE he was awarded in 2012, with a CBE and a knighthood potentially further down the line to recognise any future achievements.
The last golfer to be knighted was Nick Faldo in 2009, when he was 52.
Badge of dishonour
Arsenal's and Paris Saint-Germain's 'Visit Rwanda' sponsorship deals are set to be targets of fresh protests when the clubs meet in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Tuesday, with campaigners claiming the two clubs are promoting sportswashing.
A group calling themselves 'Gunners For Peace' handed out armbands before Wednesday's Premier League match against Crystal Palace to cover the sleeve logo and paid for a satirical 'Visit Tottenham' billboard outside the Emirates Stadium.
Another group has launched a crowdfunding campaign, which they hope will push Arsenal to drop the sponsor a year before the deal expires. Rwanda is effectively a dictatorship and it has been accused of arming rebels in a civil war in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
Facial scanning way off for UK
Endemic fan violence in Argentina has prompted River Plate to introduce facial recognition technology to replace tickets for Sunday's Superclásico against Boca Juniors.
The technology will be used to admit 85,000 home fans — away supporters have been banned in the South American country since 2013.
It may be a long wait before similar systems are used in the UK. Fans are likely to object to the 'Big Brother' implications, not to mention the fact that more than 2,000 people were wrongly identified as possible criminals when South Wales police used facial scanning technology at the 2017 Champions League final in Cardiff.
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