Donald Trump Upset Turnberry Resort in Scotland Not Invited to Host The Open Championship: ‘Controversy Only Makes Things Hotter’

Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump complained Saturday that the 2021 Open Championship is not being held at his Scotland resort, Trump Turnberry.

In a statement, Trump said he has spent “some time watching” The 149th Open and called it “terrific.”

“But as almost all of the great players, sportscasters, and golf aficionados know, the greatest site and course for The Open is Turnberry, in Scotland,” he continued. “It is truly a magical place, the players want to be there, and at some point in time the players will be there.”

According to Golf Digest, The Open has not returned to Turnberry since 2009, when Stewart Cink beat Tom Watson in a playoff.

Trump did not mention the 2009 appearance but claimed that “the greatest match of all time” occurred at Turnberry during the 1977 Open Championship between Watson and Jack Nicklaus (although this match-up occurred long before Trump purchased the resort in 2014).

Trump blamed the decision not to play at Turnberry this year on his “controversial” status.

“…They consider a wonderful person, and many-time Club Champion, named Donald J. Trump, to be too controversial — this is, of course, a false reputation caused mainly by the Fake News Media.”

He added: “Remember, though, controversy only makes things ‘hotter.’

In a statement following the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said they have no plans to host The Open at Turnberry “in the foreseeable future.”

“We will not return 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,” he said.

Trump’s push to move The Open to Turnberry is not new; in 2018, he reportedly asked the U.S. ambassador to the U.K., Robert Johnson, to encourage British officials to relocate the tournament to Turnberry.

Trump ended his statement on a fairly optimistic note, saying, “Oh well, life proceeds forward! Someday The Open will be back at Turnberry.”

However, it doesn’t seem like that day will be any time soon. The R&A has already announced its schedule of venues for The Open through 2024, and Turnberry is not on the list. Golf Digest additionally noted that the tournament generally returns to St. Andrews every five years and that “would squeeze out any other Scottish courses until closer to the end of the decade.”