Golf News: Gary Player Urges R&A To Reconsider Donald Trump’s Snubbed Cours

Golf legend Gary Player has called on the R&A to reinstate the iconic Turnberry course into The Open Championship rota. Owned by Donald Trump, Turnberry has been excluded from hosting The Open since 2009, largely due to the controversies surrounding its owner.

The historic course last welcomed The Open in 2009, witnessing Stewart Cink’s memorable win over Tom Watson. Trump acquired the Scottish property in 2014 for $60 million, unveiling a substantial $200 million refurbishment two years later.

Despite Turnberry’s rich heritage and high ranking, the R&A has been firm in its resolution to steer clear of the venue. Martin Slumbers, CEO of the R&A, stated, as quoted by Mirror:

“Until we’re confident that any coverage at Turnberry would be about golf, about the golf course and about the championship, we will not return any of our championships there.”

Gary Player, a nine-time major champion, has emerged as a vocal advocate for bringing The Open back to Turnberry. Player’s support for the course—and Trump—is palpable. He claimed to Bunkered:

“It must come back. Fairness in life. Some might say Donald Trump did… what about every other President? They all did something wrong. Not only Donald Trump.

“Every one of them. It says in the Bible: Forgive us of our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us.

“It’s wrong and its cruel and its unfair not to have The Open go back to Turnberry because its the best golf course. That and Carnoustie. Carnoustie and Trump Turnberry are the two best golf courses in Scotland.”

Player continued:

“I walked into Trump Turnberry the other day – by the way, he’s made great investments in Scotland. I play golf with him almost every three weeks. He’s a very nice man and the stuff I read about him I can’t believe. I read about the opposition saying ‘he’s going to ruin democracy’. He’s going to improve our democracy, not ruin it.”

With Trump running for the presidency again, his association is not just a personal brand but has significant political implications.

Player is a renowned retired golfer from South Africa, often regarded as one of the best golfers in history. Over his illustrious career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tour and another nine on the Champions Tour. In 1965, at 29, he captured the U.S. Open title, becoming the only non-American to win all four major championships. At that time, he was the youngest to achieve this milestone, a record later broken by Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

Player’s achievements include over 160 professional tournament victories across six continents over seven decades, leading to his inclusion into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.