Government spoke to organisers about hosting The Open at Trump's Turnberry course to please golf-loving President
29 April 2025, 16:11
The venue for the 2028 Open golf championship is a matter for the organisers, Downing Street has said.
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The Prime Minister’s official spokesman did not deny that Whitehall officials had been in contact with the R&A, which organises the tournament, about it being hosted at Donald Trump’s Turnberry course, in South Ayrshire, Scotland, but said the organisation was independent of Government.
He said: “I wouldn’t get into specific conversations but it’s for sporting bodies to make decisions on tournament venues, not the Government.
"Obviously the Government is in regular contact with sporting bodies on tournaments in the usual way but not beyond that.”
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He added: “It’s clearly right and proper and usual for Government to engage with organisers of major sporting events as part of the business of government, but in terms of decisions around tournament hosting venues, that is for the relevant sporting bodies to take decisions on.”
Asked whether Mr Trump had raised using Turnberry for the 2028 Open in conversation with the Prime Minister, the spokesman said: “I’m not going to go beyond the readouts that you’ve got on their conversations, but the point is that decisions on tournament venues are rightly a matter for the relevant sporting bodies.”
