Trump Doonbeg Hosts 6th 2026 Tour Event as Irish Open Expands Trump Golf Reach

Q: Why does the historic Turnberry remain excluded from The Open despite the growing dominance of Trump courses in elite professional golf?

Turnberry remains off The Open rota mainly because the R&A says the venue’s infrastructure does not currently meet the championship’s modern requirements, not because of any doubt about the quality or history of the course. The Ailsa course is widely regarded as one of the great Open venues, and Turnberry has hosted memorable championships, most recently in 2009. But the R&A has repeatedly pointed to practical obstacles around road access, rail links and nearby accommodation. Those limits matter more now because The Open has grown into a much larger event, with recent championships attracting close to or above 300,000 spectators across the week, far beyond the scale seen at Turnberry’s last staging. R&A chief executive Mark Darbon has said there has been dialogue and feasibility work at Turnberry, but no timetable for a return. That indicates the course is not ruled out permanently, yet it is not currently ready to slot back into the rota. There has also been broader concern in recent years about external attention overshadowing the championship, although the R&A’s public position now emphasizes logistics and commercial delivery rather than the ownership issue itself. So, despite the growing prominence of Trump-owned venues on the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LIV Golf and other circuits, Turnberry’s case is different: The Open is controlled by the R&A, and its threshold for transport, accommodation and large-event infrastructure remains the key barrier.

3 articles · Updated · The Irish Times · Sep 6

Trump International Doonbeg will stage next week’s Amgen Irish Open, making it the sixth men’s professional tournament held on a Trump Organization course in 2026.
That run spans the PGA Tour’s Cadillac Championship at Doral, two LIV events at Bedminster and Virginia, and the DP World Tour and Legends Tour stops at Trump Aberdeen.
Doonbeg, bought in 2008 for a reported €15 million, will host a DP World Tour event for the first time after investment including a Martin Hawtree redesign.
The Trump golf portfolio now spans about 16 properties globally, with Eric Trump overseeing operations and projects in Indonesia and Qatar still in the pipeline.
Turnberry remains the notable exception: despite hosting The Open four times, it has not returned since 2009, with the R&A citing infrastructure and logistics constraints.