Is Donald Trump blowing his British Open? (USATSI)
Is Donald Trump ruining his chance to host a British Open? (USATSI)

Donald Trump has apparently done a great job making over Turnberry which he bought in 2014. That doesn't mean he's going to score a future British Open, though. The course that last saw a major in 2009 was all set for a return sometime in the next 5-10 years. That might not be happening now because of some of Trump's recent comments, according to The Independent.

But his dream of handing over the trophy at The Open is in tatters, The Independent on Sunday can reveal, after golf’s governing body, headquartered in Scotland, privately decided that his reputation is now so toxic that the newly renamed Trump Turnberry can no longer host the game’s most prestigious tournament.

Controversial remarks made by Mr Trump in his campaign for the Republican nomination – about Muslims, Mexicans, Chinese and women, among others – have given him a near-pariah status in the global game, raising the risk of a boycott by sponsors and international players. 

Previously, the new chief executive of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, Martin Slumbers, had been expected to endorse Turnberry as a venue for the 2020 Open. 


But his call for a “total and complete shutdown” of US borders to all Muslims, until, as he claimed, “our country’s representatives figure out what’s going on”, appears to have been the final straw for the R&A. 

That's not great foreshadowing for Trump and Co. Although this is pretty unsurprising given that, you know, the UK is trying to ban trump from even setting foot on its soil. 

So it will be interesting to see which direction this will go. Turnberry has hosted four British Opens (1977, 1986, 1994 and 2009) so it has not been just a one-off site. Will the R&A come out and publicly denounce Trump or will this go away quietly with the R&A just ignoring Turnberry? That's up in the air right now and might be for quite a while.