After Scottie Scheffler Defied R&A’s Beef With Donald Trump, John Daly & More Demand Justice for Mistreated Turnberry Course

Turnberry’s absence from the  Open Championship ROTA has been a perennial controversy! It is one of the Scottish courses that has hosted the Open Championship four times, the last time in 2009. In 2021, the R&A stated that it has no plans or interest in hosting the event at the venue as long as Donald Trump is the owner. However, just a few days before the 152nd edition of The Open Championship, top officials at Trump’s Turnberry made a plea to reconsider their stance.

However, the R&A remains stern in its decision. The main concerns revolve around security threats and potential protests that could take place if the course was once again added to the ROTA. While the official organization deems it no good to go back to the Ailsa course, the golf community, along with pros like Scottie Scheffler, John Daly, and many more, do not share the sentiments.

Donald Trump’s passion for golf has been seen more often than not. It’s quite evident from the 16 golf courses he owns across the world and he has often been seen swinging the club on them. The Turnberry is one among them. As the Open Championship 2024 is knocking at the door, he invited PGA Tour pros Scottie Scheffler and Sam Burns to have a round of practice on the course.

The two not only complimented how they were welcomed but also stated that the course was in great condition and that they had the time of their lives practicing for the fourth men’s major. Even their followers seem to agree with them, as Trump Golf posted about it. Demanding to take back the ROTA to the Turnberry, they left comments like,
“Best course in the rota, easily” and “Time to put it back in The Open rota…Nicklaus…Watson…Arnie…lets grow up R&A. Give golfers a chance to see its immense natural beauty again-please.”

Back in 1977, the Open Championship was hosted for the first time in Turnberry. The famous “Duel in the Sun” between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus, steered clear of the field and they traded birdies at Turnberry in a magnificent final-round shootout. The moment remained unforgettable for Watson. He further shared his experiences with senior player John Daly at the course, who is already a fan of Trump’s work.

In an interview with the Press and Journal, Daly revealed that he will be present at the Legends Tour’s Staysure PGA Championship and that he is excited to see Trump Aberdeen, which is another course owned by Trump in Scotland. However, although he has played in a lot of Trump’s courses, he hasn’t had the chance to play at the Turnberry. “I want to play Turnberry as Tom Watson said it would be one of the best British Opens of all time, if not the best, if they went back there”, said Daly.

While John Daly appeared to be one of the recent endorsements for supporting Donald Trump’s Turnberry, he is not the only one. The debate about the course resurfaces every year before the Open Championship, and the course has received ample support since the beginning of the controversy.

Gary Player comes to Donald Trump-owned Turnberry’s rescue

Donald Trump has been making every effort to bring the Open Championship back to Turnberry. However, all his efforts seemed to be in vain until July 31, 2023, when Gary Player visited the course. The veteran golfer absolutely loved the greens, and complemented the course, “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.” said Player.

As Trump took ownership in 2014, the R&A has decided not to let the course play a host. However, Player believes that it will be a great loss for the Major not to take place there. He also suggested that the ban needs to be lifted and said, “It’s an absolute paradise of links golf with a storied history.”

Do you think that Turnberry should be able to host the Open Championship once again? Let us know in the comments section below!