R&A held talks with Donald Trump’s son over staging the Open at Turnberry
The R&A says it has held a “really good discussion” with Donald Trump’s family over the thorny issue of when their Turnberry course might stage the Open again.The governing body’s new chief executive, Martin Darbon, said he had met with the president’s son Eric and held positive talks about infrastructure improvements needed for Turnberry to host the event for the first time since 2009.“I met a couple of months ago with Eric Trump and some of the leadership from the Trump golf organisation and from Turnberry,” Darbon told reporters.“We had a really good discussion.I think they understand clearly where we’re coming from.
We talked through some of the challenges that we have so we’ve got a good dialogue with them.”About 120,000 spectators watched the Open when it was last held in Turnberry.However, the event has grown to such an extent that 280,000 fans will be in Portrush.Darbon, who is overseeing his first Open Championship, said there were 1.2 million applications for tickets for this week’s event and the R&A was “keen to service that demand where we can”.
However, he left open the door to a return to Turnberry by promising to work collaboratively with national and local government to improve transport links and accommodation levels,That was a notable shift in tone compared to his predecessor, Martin Slumbers, who had suggested that bringing the Open to Trump’s Turnberry course would be too toxic and take the focus away from the golf,“I think we’ve been extremely clear on our position in respect of Turnberry,” Darbon said,“We love the golf course but we’ve got some big logistical challenges there,You see the scale of their setup here and we’ve got some work to do on the road, rail and accommodation infrastructure.
”In February, it was reported that White House officials had asked about Turnberry returning as a venue during the prime minister’s visit to Washington.King Charles also referenced the course in a letter inviting the president to a second state visit to the UK in September.However, Darbon said the government had not put any pressure on them to accelerate a return to the Ayrshire course that Trump bought for £39m in 2014.“We’ve spoken to them specifically about Turnberry and I think they’ve made it clear that the decision around where we take our championship rests with us,” he said.“We’ve explicitly not taken it out of our pool of venues but we’d need to address those logistical challenges should we return.
”The R&A expects to announce the venue for the 2028 Open before the middle of next year – a timescale that would come too soon for Turnberry.However, Portmarnock in the Republic of Ireland is also being considered as a venue in what would be a historic move that would see the Open held outside the United Kingdom for the first time.Elsewhere, Darbon also confirmed the Guardian story last week that the R&A would be moving the tee times forward on Saturday to avoid a clash with a loyalist march by the Portrush Sons of Ulster.More than 60 bands and 2,000 participants are expected to begin their march through the town streets shortly after thousands of spectators will be leaving the sold-out Royal Portrush, and Darbon said the tweak was needed to ensure “both events can run as seamlessly as possible”.He said: “We’re making a slight tweak to tee times to try and finish – it’s not dramatic.
It’ll be 15 minutes or so earlier,At the same time, this is an outdoor sport,The weather can play a big role,It’s very difficult to be precise on finishing times,But we’re looking at some marginal adjustments.
”Darbon also refused to deny reports that the R&A had offered the group £20,000 to stage their march on a different day.“We’re actually contributing some incremental costs to support what I just said, the seamless operation of both events.We try to be good citizens in the communities in which we operate when we come to town.”
Get ready for an Open thriller with fiendish unpredictability of Portrush
Stunning course, benign forecast and giddy galleries make it all but futile to predict a winner of 153rd stagingThe consensus among golf’s chattering classes in Portrush is that it may be some time until the Open returns. Two stagings inside a decade was always the plan as the R&A determined Northern Ireland could host an event of this stature. There will be a third, it just seems unlikely to land imminently. Muirfield is long overdue an Open return, so too is Royal Lytham & St Annes. When Dublin’s Portmarnock is added to the upcoming mix, Royal Portrush will be required to wait in line
R&A held talks with Donald Trump’s son over staging the Open at Turnberry
The R&A says it has held a “really good discussion” with Donald Trump’s family over the thorny issue of when their Turnberry course might stage the Open again.The governing body’s new chief executive, Martin Darbon, said he had met with the president’s son Eric and held positive talks about infrastructure improvements needed for Turnberry to host the event for the first time since 2009.“I met a couple of months ago with Eric Trump and some of the leadership from the Trump golf organisation and from Turnberry,” Darbon told reporters. “We had a really good discussion. I think they understand clearly where we’re coming from
Oakmont bans 2023 US Open champion Wyndham Clark for damaging lockers
The former US Open champion Wyndham Clark, who is competing this week at Portrush, has been banned by the prestigious Oakmont Country Club after damaging lockers in a fit of pique during the staging of the event this year.Oakmont has insisted Clark undergoes anger management help if he wants to be allowed back in to the Pittsburgh venue. The move is as sensational as it is unprecedented towards a player of Clark’s standing. The 31-year-old represented the US in the last Ryder Cup.Photographs emerged of damage inflicted to lockers by Clark during the US Open last month
Max Faulkner and ‘the greatest shot’: the story of Portrush’s first Open champion
“Max Faulkner. Open champion 1951”. Faulkner signed those words for a young fan who had offered up a golf ball en route to the first tee of the final round at Royal Portrush. He regretted it almost immediately. While he held a commanding six-shot lead before the 1951 Open’s last 18 holes, there now existed an embarrassing piece of evidence should he fail to deliver
Owen Farrell expected to be left out of Lions squad for first Wallabies Test
Owen Farrell is expected to be left out of the British & Irish Lions squad for Saturday’s first Test against Australia in Brisbane. With Tom Curry poised to get the nod at openside flanker ahead of Jac Morgan, the Lions are set to run out for a Test with no Welsh representation for the first time since the 19th century.Farrell’s omission comes despite an impressive 30-minute cameo from the bench in last Saturday’s 48-0 victory over the AUNZ Invitational XV. Offering cover at inside-centre and fly-half he was tipped to make the Test squad but he is now likely to have to wait for a seventh Lions cap with father Andy preferring Marcus Smith on the bench.Elsewhere, Curry is set to start in the No 7 jersey, prevailing amid fierce competition from Morgan and Henry Pollock, both of whom appear likely to miss out on the matchday 23, with Tadhg Beirne in line to start at blindside flanker
‘We’re not here to pay homage’: Lion turned Australia coach Geoff Parling on how hosts can stun tourists
Geoff Parling is a perfect example of just how far sport can propel you in life. Growing up in Stockton-on-Tees he was a goalkeeper who did not start throwing a rugby ball around until the age of 12. Back then the chances of him coaching Australia in a British & Irish Lions series were about the same as seeing a snoozing koala up a gum tree in Hartlepool.Yet here he is now in a Wallaby tracksuit, preparing to complete the unique double of playing a Test for the Lions and then also coaching against them at the same exalted level. It is a parallel universe to 2013 when Parling was part of the triumphant Lions side in the final Test in Sydney
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