"It’s an absolute paradise" - Gary Player urges R&A to reinstate Trump's Turnberry course in the Open Championship rota
Golf legend Gary Player stormed Twitter on Friday with a post advocating for the return of the Trump Turnberry golf course to the venues rotation for The Open Championship. Player called the course "an absolute paradise."
Player, 87, directly addressed the R&A to reinstate Turnberry in the list of courses for the British Open, from which it was withdrawn in 2021.
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… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… pic.twitter.com/oGwutEyI3H
This is what Gary Player said through his official Twitter account:
"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."
However, it is not in the R&A's plans to consider this request. In a press conference at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in London, leading up to The Open Championship, the chairman of R&A, Martin Slumbers said:
“The essential statement that we made then was that until we’re confident that any coverage would be about golf, about the golf course and about the championship, until we’re confident about that, we will not return any of our championships there.”
The statement Slumbers referred to is the one issued in 2021 to ban the Scottish venue from the rotation for The Open. It read as follows:
“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.”
R&A vs. Trump Turnberry
The R&A decided to withdraw Trump Turnberry from the rotation of The Open Championship in 2021. This decision came after the infamous incidents of January 6, when supporters of the former US President stormed the Capitol in Washington, United States.
The reason, according to R&A representatives, is that an event of the magnitude of The Open could be handled publicity-wise to enhance the image of the former US President.
Turnberry is a golf club located in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It was founded in 1906 and is one of the most historic venues in the country. It was acquired by Donald Trump in 2014.
It has three courses, of which the most important is the Ailsa course. It is a 7448-yard, par 71 course, designed by Willie Fernie (early 20th Century), with later work by Mackenzie Ross (1949-51) and Martin Ebert (2015-16).
Ailsa course has hosted The Open Championship four times (1977, 86, 94, 2009). In addition, it has hosted other major tournaments, including seven editions of the Senior Open, two editions of the Women's British Open, and the 1963 Walker Cup.