Latest news with #Royal&Ancient
USA Today
03-05-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Lynch: Donald Trump is trying to bully his way to an Open at Turnberry, but he'll be a loser
Lynch: Donald Trump is trying to bully his way to an Open at Turnberry, but he'll be a loser There was a time when major championship venues were selected largely on the merits of the golf course, but that was back around the time that Jimmy Carter had to place his peanut farm in a blind trust to avoid the appearance of enriching himself off the presidency, both concepts now quaint relics of a bygone era. The criteria for deciding where majors are held now places greater priority on commercial returns and logistics, even among the threadbare seaside towns of the British Isles. Carnoustie is indisputably among the U.K.'s finest links courses, but it went a quarter-century between hosting Opens for lack of a decent hotel (it still doesn't have one, despite the monstrosity erected by the 18th green). Royal Lytham last had the championship in 2012, and is reworking its layout and addressing neighborhood issues to accommodate the enormous infrastructure that would come with (hopefully) being awarded a 12th Open. Northern Ireland's Royal Portrush was ignored for decades until the whiff of gun smoke faded, but this summer will host its second Open in six years, the first having proved intoxicatingly lucrative to the organizers at the Royal & Ancient. The most pressing consideration varies by venue for the R&A, but only one criterion really matters for Donald Trump — whatever he wants. Trump purchased Turnberry in 2014, knowing it was in the R&A's rotation and confident he was also buying the major he has long coveted. But the Open hasn't returned since its fourth staging at the Ayrshire resort, in '09. Last week, the Guardian newspaper reported that Trump has repeatedly asked British officials to lean on the R&A to bring the Open back to Turnberry. Since he treats his own government as a means for graft and settling grievances, it's unsurprising that he treats foreign governments similarly, but his odds of winning this battle are minuscule. Since Trump's extensive renovation of the Ailsa links has been widely praised, the worthiness of the course is not an impediment. But that's the only winning hand he holds. Logistics are a major strike against Turnberry, which is a 30-minute drive from the nearest town and an hour from any city. 'There are definitely some logistical and commercial challenges that we face around the road, rail and accommodation infrastructure,' said Mark Darbon, the R&A's chief executive. One figure exposes both the infrastructure shortcomings of Turnberry as an Open venue and the enormous financial hit the R&A would absorb from returning there, which it can ill afford. The last championship held at the remote resort drew 123,000 spectators. By comparison, last year Royal Troon attracted 250,000 while Portrush sold out at 278,000. Darbon knows that remediating Turnberry's issues would take years and untold millions in funding. 'We're doing some feasibility work around what it would look like to return to that venue and the investment that it would require,' he added, which is polite British-speak for 'piss off, pal.' The problems aren't limited to roads, railways and revenue. There's a reputational risk to the championship that the R&A would be nuts to entertain. A Turnberry Open would be a farce given the security measures involved in staging a major while the U.S. president is front and center grandstanding, because he ain't staying home. (The year of such an Open is immaterial since Trump has made clear his desire to violate the Constitution's Twenty-Second Amendment and remain in office.) There's also the matter of the 34-times convicted felon having a prior when it comes to golf's biggest tournaments. The PGA of America stripped Trump of the '22 PGA Championship after his incitement of the Capitol insurrection that left five people dead. Around that time, Darbon's predecessor at the R&A, Martin Slumbers, made clear that the Open wouldn't go to Turnberry 'until we are convinced that the focus will be on the championship, the players and the course itself, and we do not believe that is achievable in the current circumstances.' The focus will never be on the championship, the players and the course as long as Trump's name is above the door, and the R&A knows it. But the Open is Trump's last real shot at a major, and he knows it. The R&A has announced venues only through 2027, whereas PGA Championships are assigned through 2031 and the next available slot for the U.S. Open is 2043. There are nine alternative courses in the Open rotation, with speculation that Portmarnock Golf Club in Dublin could also be added to the list. All present a better case than Turnberry, not least because none is affiliated with a man whose lawless authoritarianism grows ever more brazen. There may come a day when the 'Champion Golfer of the Year' is again crowned at Turnberry, but Trump being there as host to see it is about as likely as his winning the Claret Jug as a competitor. Granted, he's suspiciously adept at 'winning' championships at his own courses, but things aren't quite as flexible when the R&A is tallying the score.
Daily Mail
29-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
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.
San Francisco Chronicle
22-04-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
British Open focus is on getting bigger. That leaves out some of the better links
The objective of golf's oldest championship is best illustrated by Tuesday's announcement that 278,000 spectators will be at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland this summer for the 153rd staging of the British Open. No other major has more history, the first one being played just three weeks before Abraham Lincoln was elected president. No other major this year is more poised to celebrate Rory McIlroy, the native son, Masters champion and latest to capture the elusive Grand Slam. No other major feels the need to announce its attendance. The Royal & Ancient said the 278,000 spectators — 89,000 of them during the three days of practice — would be the second-largest crowd for the Open behind St. Andrews (290,000 in 2022), and some 40,000 more than the last time at Royal Portrush in 2019. That the Open returned to Portrush in just five years — it had been 68 years since the previous visit to the Northern Ireland links — speaks to how much the R&A feels size matters. 'Big-time sport needs big-time crowds,' former R&A chief Martin Slumbers was fond of saying. His successor, Mark Darbon, feels the same. 'The Open is one of the world's great sporting events and we will do everything we can to make this year's championship at Royal Portrush an outstanding and memorable occasion for everyone involved from fans to players and the millions watching on TV and digital platforms worldwide," Darbon said. The best viewing likely will come from in front of a screen. The bigger the crowds, the greater the excitement, even if the spectators on the ground have a hard time seeing much more than the back of someone's head. It was like that at the Masters, where McIlroy played alongside Bryson DeChambeau. He cruised and then crashed and then came back and eventually beat Justin Rose in a playoff. The theater was among the greatest ever. No attendance figures were announced (to be fair, Augusta National is not big on numbers, whether it's attendance or the speed of greens, merchandise sales or digital traffic). The U.S. Open and PGA Championship don't announce attendance, and neither does the Ryder Cup (only the cost of the ticket, still less than U.S. players are getting paid ). Officials at both majors say privately they don't like announcing sellouts. It's a major. It's supposed to sell out. Even the WM Phoenix Open, the most raucous stop on the PGA Tour, stopped announcing attendance seven years ago. There was no need. It's big, loud and packed. Everyone knows it. The last attendance figure for the Phoenix Open was 719,179 in 2018. (The R&A is contemplating a British Open at Portmarnock in Ireland; no word if it will consider expanding outside the U.K. to Phoenix). But it's about being there. Big crowds made big loud, as a 20-year-old Se Ri Pak said with such great charm. There is something to be said about being part of history, like McIlroy at Augusta National or Phil Mickelson at Kiawah Island when he won the PGA Championship at age 50. There also is the risk of leaning on too big, not only from the spectator's experience but limitations on where to play. Royal Portrush is getting the British Open six years apart — only St. Andrews, the home of golf, has had a quicker turnaround in the last 30 years. Meanwhile, Muirfield waits. Of the modern rotation, only St. Andrews has hosted the Open more times than the 16 editions at Muirfield, regarded as the purest of the links courses. Every Muirfield winner since World War II is in the World Golf Hall of Fame. It was last held in 2013 and had just over 142,000 spectators who witnessed Mickelson win the third leg of the career Grand Slam. Perhaps the R&A should take a page from the U.S. Open, which also likes big (Pinehurst No. 2, Winged Foot, Oakmont) but is not bothered to accept a smaller footprint because it wants the grandest stage for its championship. The U.S. Open was at The Country Club outside Boston, with attendance estimated at 175,000 spectators (compare that with Oakmont in 2016 at about 230,000 fans). It will return to Merion in 2030 and Riviera in 2031. The crowds — and the revenue — won't be as large. The courses are among the most revered in America. Royal Lytham & St. Annes is another historic links that is running out of room to hold the spectators, along with the bells and whistles the R&A prefers. It last hosted the Open in 2012 and isn't on the list without finding a way to create more room. There's also the curious case of Turnberry, revered as the most picturesque of all links courses, famous for the 'Duel in the Sun' between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus and owned by President Donald Trump since 2014 (five years after it last held the Open). Slumbers had said for years there was no plan to return to Turnberry until the focus was squarely on golf. Darbon took another route Tuesday when he mentioned a feasibility study before Turnberry is considered. He noted attendance in 2009 at Turnberry was only about 120,000, compared with some 280,000 fans at Portrush this summer. 'That's really important for us because not only do we want to showcase this wonderful championship to as many people as possible, but it's important for us in terms of our commercial model because everything that we generate from the Open, we then reinvest back into the game all around the world," Darbon said. "So we've got a few challenges at Turnberry.'
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
British Open focus is on getting bigger. That leaves out some of the better links
FILE - Golf legend Jack Nicklaus waves to spectators from the Swilcan Bridge on the 18th hole as he comes close to the end of playing his final round ever in the British Open golf championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Friday July 15, 2005.. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours, File) FILE - Ireland's Shane Lowry reacts after getting a birdie on the fourth green during the final round of the British Open Golf Championships at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, Sunday, July 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File) FILE - Ireland's Shane Lowry reacts after getting a birdie on the fourth green during the final round of the British Open Golf Championships at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, Sunday, July 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File) FILE - Golf legend Jack Nicklaus waves to spectators from the Swilcan Bridge on the 18th hole as he comes close to the end of playing his final round ever in the British Open golf championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, Friday July 15, 2005.. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours, File) FILE - Ireland's Shane Lowry reacts after getting a birdie on the fourth green during the final round of the British Open Golf Championships at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, Sunday, July 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File) The objective of golf's oldest championship is best illustrated by Tuesday's announcement that 278,000 spectators will be at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland this summer for the 153rd staging of the British Open. No other major has more history, the first one being played just three weeks before Abraham Lincoln was elected president. Advertisement No other major this year is more poised to celebrate Rory McIlroy, the native son, Masters champion and latest to capture the elusive Grand Slam. No other major feels the need to announce its attendance. The Royal & Ancient said the 278,000 spectators — 89,000 of them during the three days of practice — would be the second-largest crowd for the Open behind St. Andrews (290,000 in 2022), and some 40,000 more than the last time at Royal Portrush in 2019. That the Open returned to Portrush in just five years — it had been 68 years since the previous visit to the Northern Ireland links — speaks to how much the R&A feels size matters. Advertisement 'Big-time sport needs big-time crowds,' former R&A chief Martin Slumbers was fond of saying. His successor, Mark Darbon, feels the same. 'The Open is one of the world's great sporting events and we will do everything we can to make this year's championship at Royal Portrush an outstanding and memorable occasion for everyone involved from fans to players and the millions watching on TV and digital platforms worldwide," Darbon said. The best viewing likely will come from in front of a screen. The bigger the crowds, the greater the excitement, even if the spectators on the ground have a hard time seeing much more than the back of someone's head. It was like that at the Masters, where McIlroy played alongside Bryson DeChambeau. He cruised and then crashed and then came back and eventually beat Justin Rose in a playoff. Advertisement The theater was among the greatest ever. No attendance figures were announced (to be fair, Augusta National is not big on numbers, whether it's attendance or the speed of greens, merchandise sales or digital traffic). The U.S. Open and PGA Championship don't announce attendance, and neither does the Ryder Cup (only the cost of the ticket, still less than U.S. players are getting paid ). Officials at both majors say privately they don't like announcing sellouts. It's a major. It's supposed to sell out. Even the WM Phoenix Open, the most raucous stop on the PGA Tour, stopped announcing attendance seven years ago. There was no need. It's big, loud and packed. Everyone knows it. The last attendance figure for the Phoenix Open was 719,179 in 2018. (The R&A is contemplating a British Open at Portmarnock in Ireland; no word if it will consider expanding outside the U.K. to Phoenix). Advertisement But it's about being there. Big crowds made big loud, as a 20-year-old Se Ri Pak said with such great charm. There is something to be said about being part of history, like McIlroy at Augusta National or Phil Mickelson at Kiawah Island when he won the PGA Championship at age 50. There also is the risk of leaning on too big, not only from the spectator's experience but limitations on where to play. Royal Portrush is getting the British Open six years apart — only St. Andrews, the home of golf, has had a quicker turnaround in the last 30 years. Meanwhile, Muirfield waits. Of the modern rotation, only St. Andrews has hosted the Open more times than the 16 editions at Muirfield, regarded as the purest of the links courses. Every Muirfield winner since World War II is in the World Golf Hall of Fame. Advertisement It was last held in 2013 and had just over 142,000 spectators who witnessed Mickelson win the third leg of the career Grand Slam. Perhaps the R&A should take a page from the U.S. Open, which also likes big (Pinehurst No. 2, Winged Foot, Oakmont) but is not bothered to accept a smaller footprint because it wants the grandest stage for its championship. The U.S. Open was at The Country Club outside Boston, with attendance estimated at 175,000 spectators (compare that with Oakmont in 2016 at about 230,000 fans). It will return to Merion in 2030 and Riviera in 2031. The crowds — and the revenue — won't be as large. The courses are among the most revered in America. Royal Lytham & St. Annes is another historic links that is running out of room to hold the spectators, along with the bells and whistles the R&A prefers. It last hosted the Open in 2012 and isn't on the list without finding a way to create more room. Advertisement There's also the curious case of Turnberry, revered as the most picturesque of all links courses, famous for the 'Duel in the Sun' between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus and owned by President Donald Trump since 2014 (five years after it last held the Open). Slumbers had said for years there was no plan to return to Turnberry until the focus was squarely on golf. Darbon took another route Tuesday when he mentioned a feasibility study before Turnberry is considered. He noted attendance in 2009 at Turnberry was only about 120,000, compared with some 280,000 fans at Portrush this summer. 'That's really important for us because not only do we want to showcase this wonderful championship to as many people as possible, but it's important for us in terms of our commercial model because everything that we generate from the Open, we then reinvest back into the game all around the world," Darbon said. Advertisement "So we've got a few challenges at Turnberry.' The biggest challenge for Turnberry and Muirfield and Royal Lytham & St. Annes? Size matters in the modern model of the Royal & Ancient. ___ On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season. AP golf: ___
Associated Press
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
British Open focus is on getting bigger. That leaves out some of the better links
The objective of golf's oldest championship is best illustrated by Tuesday's announcement that 278,000 spectators will be at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland this summer for the 153rd staging of the British Open. No other major has more history, the first one being played just three weeks before Abraham Lincoln was elected president. No other major this year is more poised to celebrate Rory McIlroy, the native son, Masters champion and latest to capture the elusive Grand Slam. No other major feels the need to announce its attendance. The Royal & Ancient said the 278,000 spectators — 89,000 of them during the three days of practice — would be the second-largest crowd for the Open behind St. Andrews (290,000 in 2022), and some 40,000 more than the last time at Royal Portrush in 2019. That the Open returned to Portrush in just five years — it had been 68 years since the previous visit to the Northern Ireland links — speaks to how much the R&A feels size matters. 'Big-time sport needs big-time crowds,' former R&A chief Martin Slumbers was fond of saying. His successor, Mark Darbon, feels the same. 'The Open is one of the world's great sporting events and we will do everything we can to make this year's championship at Royal Portrush an outstanding and memorable occasion for everyone involved from fans to players and the millions watching on TV and digital platforms worldwide,' Darbon said. The best viewing likely will come from in front of a screen. The bigger the crowds, the greater the excitement, even if the spectators on the ground have a hard time seeing much more than the back of someone's head. It was like that at the Masters, where McIlroy played alongside Bryson DeChambeau. He cruised and then crashed and then came back and eventually beat Justin Rose in a playoff. The theater was among the greatest ever. No attendance figures were announced (to be fair, Augusta National is not big on numbers, whether it's attendance or the speed of greens, merchandise sales or digital traffic). The U.S. Open and PGA Championship don't announce attendance, and neither does the Ryder Cup (only the cost of the ticket, still less than U.S. players are getting paid ). Officials at both majors say privately they don't like announcing sellouts. It's a major. It's supposed to sell out. Even the WM Phoenix Open, the most raucous stop on the PGA Tour, stopped announcing attendance seven years ago. There was no need. It's big, loud and packed. Everyone knows it. The last attendance figure for the Phoenix Open was 719,179 in 2018. (The R&A is contemplating a British Open at Portmarnock in Ireland; no word if it will consider expanding outside the U.K. to Phoenix). But it's about being there. Big crowds made big loud, as a 20-year-old Se Ri Pak said with such great charm. There is something to be said about being part of history, like McIlroy at Augusta National or Phil Mickelson at Kiawah Island when he won the PGA Championship at age 50. There also is the risk of leaning on too big, not only from the spectator's experience but limitations on where to play. Royal Portrush is getting the British Open six years apart — only St. Andrews, the home of golf, has had a quicker turnaround in the last 30 years. Meanwhile, Muirfield waits. Of the modern rotation, only St. Andrews has hosted the Open more times than the 16 editions at Muirfield, regarded as the purest of the links courses. Every Muirfield winner since World War II is in the World Golf Hall of Fame. It was last held in 2013 and had just over 142,000 spectators who witnessed Mickelson win the third leg of the career Grand Slam. Perhaps the R&A should take a page from the U.S. Open, which also likes big (Pinehurst No. 2, Winged Foot, Oakmont) but is not bothered to accept a smaller footprint because it wants the grandest stage for its championship. The U.S. Open was at The Country Club outside Boston, with attendance estimated at 175,000 spectators (compare that with Oakmont in 2016 at about 230,000 fans). It will return to Merion in 2030 and Riviera in 2031. The crowds — and the revenue — won't be as large. The courses are among the most revered in America. Royal Lytham & St. Annes is another historic links that is running out of room to hold the spectators, along with the bells and whistles the R&A prefers. It last hosted the Open in 2012 and isn't on the list without finding a way to create more room. There's also the curious case of Turnberry, revered as the most picturesque of all links courses, famous for the 'Duel in the Sun' between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus and owned by President Donald Trump since 2014 (five years after it last held the Open). Slumbers had said for years there was no plan to return to Turnberry until the focus was squarely on golf. Darbon took another route Tuesday when he mentioned a feasibility study before Turnberry is considered. He noted attendance in 2009 at Turnberry was only about 120,000, compared with some 280,000 fans at Portrush this summer. 'That's really important for us because not only do we want to showcase this wonderful championship to as many people as possible, but it's important for us in terms of our commercial model because everything that we generate from the Open, we then reinvest back into the game all around the world,' Darbon said. 'So we've got a few challenges at Turnberry.' The biggest challenge for Turnberry and Muirfield and Royal Lytham & St. Annes? Size matters in the modern model of the Royal & Ancient. ___ On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season. AP golf: ___
