It was in 2021, five days after the Capitol Riots in the US, when R&A chief Martin Slumbers put out the following statement:
“We have no plans to stage any of our championships at Turnberry and will not do so 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.”
It has meant the Ailsa Course has not hosted an Open since 2009, with previous majors held in 1977 (the famous ‘Duel in the Sun’ between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus), 1986, and 1994.
But despite the setback, and recent news of its expensive tee times, with the 50th anniversary of the Duel in the Sun approaching the fire in Turnberry’s belly to host an Open remains strong. Possibly more than ever.
The Trump organisation took over Turnberry in 2014 and immediately ploughed huge investment into the course, with the 9th, 10th, and 11th holes remodelled. The 9th, now, is a par-3 seen only in Tiger Woods video games, hitting over rocks towards a lighthouse that doubles up as the halfway house. The 10th, is arguably the most stunning hole in world golf, a par-5 played as close to the beach as you can get with a green that feels as though you’re putting into the ocean.
And now it’s time to go again. Turnberry is pumping £1 million into its course in a bid to further improve. On Monday, the Ailsa course closed to a nine-hole composite course, with major works taking place on holes 7 and 8.
The 7th, a par-5 which starts by the sea before going inland, will now finish closer to the coast. The 8th tees will swap with the 7th green, giving a new jaw-dropping finish to the hole. Another green on the cliff edge will be created, with a view of the Ailsa Craig. Some further mounding may also take place on 13 to shield Lighthouse Road, open to the public. The course will reopen fully on May 1.
Architect Martin Ebert, who masterminded the 2016 changes, is in no doubt that Turnberry’s level will once again be raised.
”I believe the results will be clear with the changes as Turnberry will be greater than ever, in my opinion,” he said. “There are so many great holes at Turnberry that you would love to see the world’s best play here. Wouldn’t it be great if at some stage it could host the Open once again?”
Regardless of the changes, the Ailsa at Turnberry was already a golf course that was widely viewed as one perfect for The Open. According to the Top 100 Golf Courses, the Ailsa is 10th. Golf Digest has it 8th, while Today’s Golfer ranks the Ailsa 4th.
It doesn’t stop there. Following a round in July last year, nine-time major winner Gary Player tweeted a picture of himself on the iconic 10th green with the following caption: “With all the golf I’ve played in my life, it is not often that I stop to snap a photo on a green. But Turnberry is incredibly special and is a close second to Pine Valley in my top two courses on the planet. No doubt Turnberry deserves to be back on The Open’s Rota. It’s an absolute paradise of links golf with a storied history.”
And, speaking to Mirror Sport, Trump Turnberry general manager Nic Oldham revealed he had good feedback from giant names in world golf who played either side of Troon this year.
“We had Sir Nick Faldo, Greg Norman, John Daly, Scottie Scheffler, Sam Burns, all play it pre or post The Open and every single one of them said it was set up for an Open and could have played it in the condition it was that week,” he said. “That was our intention – we had a huge number of people playing that week. The members have said they’ve never seen it play as well. And that’s our intention, week in, week out, from May until September, every year from now on.”
But, for now, the R&A’s stance has yet to formally change on Turnberry. Oldham, though, isn’t giving up.
“We are always looking to get The Open and we will do anything the R&A want us to do,” he said. Initial fibre optic cables for broadcast were laid beneath the course in 2016 and architect Ebert actually works with the R&A. Meaning the course is as set up as it can be.
“If they said they were in a position to award us The Open again then we sit down with them, as what would normally happen, and look at what needs to be changed for the modern game of golf,” Oldham added.
Addressing Slumbers’ statement directly, Oldham said: “I think golf has moved on since then, I think the R&A have moved on. Martin (Slumbers) said the challenge the R&A now have is prize fund, money. They want to invest in developing golf worldwide, including the UK.
“With LIV coming into golf I think the dynamics might have changed a bit. If we go back to being about golf, and what the CEO, Martin said, it’s about the players. The players want to play the Ailsa. After the Old Course, it’s the highest-rated Championship venue, it’s in the best condition, it’s got the best hotel facilities, it’s got the most land – that’s all ours – around it to create the environment. We are set to host an Open.”
So while Slumbers’ course and player concerns might have been addressed, the elephant in the room remains the name attached – Trump. Something Oldham freely acknowledges. “There are no barriers about the Open returning to Turnberry apart from the perception of brand name or ownership,” he said.
However, he was at pains to add: “The changes we’re making this year are purely down to Mr (Donald) Trump and Eric Trump and them coming and reviewing, as they do every year, and they saw some opportunities in land and space where they could improve.
“What I would say about Eric, and I know Eric more out of the two of them, Eric is always asking members, asking friends, asking just people he meets, the caddies, ‘What’s the feedback? How can we make it better?’
“That’s all he ever talks about – ‘how can we improve’.” He added: “The 8th tee shot today is a good tee shot but you couldn’t see the back of the green from the championship tees, you couldn’t see the beach behind. But by moving it you can see right down the hole. The 8th actually becomes a wonderful hole.”
He further added: “Every time Eric Trump comes he invests more money. No money has ever, ever, gone across the pond. We’ve never given money back, we’ve only ever taken money. Although we’re now profitable in our own right, we still take money from them because Eric keeps on wanting on to improve.”
Trump is currently battling with Kamala Harris in the US elections, but Oldham believes his enormous media presence could be a good thing for the R&A.
“I cannot speak for the R&A,” he said. “But the R&A are brilliant at trying to grow golf, that’s their remit. And if they want to grow golf they need not just the golf but the whole media. Every other Open is about the golf. Now, if you’ve got the Open at Turnberry the name of Turnberry, the name of Scotland, the name of the R&A, the name of golf would be wider than just the sport’s pages. They’ve got an opportunity to work with somebody who has a massive media following to grow the game of golf without any of the other stuff behind it. I don’t think the current election versus the last four years when he hasn’t been part of it will make a change of it.”
And if there were any concerns over outside influences penetrating The Open, Oldham believes it would in fact be the safest one yet. “That’s not a worry. It’s probably the safest Open you can have.”
As mentioned, 2027 marks 50 years since the Duel in the Sun, and while poetically Watson and Nicklaus returning is a romantic idea, Oldham confesses that it is probably somewhat unachievable. He did however add: “I’ll do anything the R&A will let us do. And that’s the honest truth. We just want an opportunity to host the Open or any R&A tournament to show willingness on both sides.”
Should the R&A not budge from its stance there is one rather obvious route it could go down, especially with Trump’s affiliation – LIV Golf. However, Oldham shut down any notion of LIV ever being hosted at Turnberry.
“No,” he said firmly. “Not on the Ailsa course. We wouldn’t want to ever put ourselves in a position not to get the Open back by having another even on there. It would only be an R&A credited event – boys, girls, amateur, Walker Cup, Curtis Cup – anything by the R&A.”
For now, the wait goes on and work officially begins on enhancing the Ailsa course. Mirror Sport reached out to the R&A and the organisation maintains its position on Turnberry is unchanged.
