LIV Golf dealt major blow ahead of 2025 campaign

Trump Turnberry's general manager says LIV Golf will never head to the Ailsa Course, according to a report. 

Nic Oldham told Mirror Sport that only R&A events will be played at the resort that has been owned by Donald Trump since 2014. 

LIV Golf are yet to announce their full schedule for the 2025 campaign, although it has already been confirmed the breakaway tour will head back to Adelaide, Hong Kong and Singapore. 

The Saudi-backed league have also confirmed the details for their Promotions event in December. 

In a major shake-up, LIV will only be offering one spot instead of three. 

Read more about that here. 

"We wouldn't want to ever put ourselves in a position not to get The Open back by having another event on there," Oldham told the publication. 

"It would only be an R&A credited event – boys, girls, amateur, Walker Cup, Curtis Cup – anything by the R&A."

Trump Turnberry has been axed from The Open rota since 2021, following the U.S. capitol riots in which Trump was implicated. 

Departing R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers has repeatedly reiterated golf's oldest major will never head back to Turnberry until the governing body is assured the focus will be solely on the major. 

In other words, there needs to be a change of ownership. 

"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," Slumbers said. 

There have also been reports that R&A officials now deem Turnberry too small to host the major. 

The 2024 edition of The Open, at Royal Troon, welcomed a record breaking attendance of 258,174. 

It represented an increase of more than 70,000 from the 2016 Open that was also held at Troon. 

The Open likely heading to Portmarnock

Portmarnock looks almost certain to become the first course outside of the UK to host an Open.

Earlier in the week Golf Ireland confirmed they been given the green light by the government for financial backing. 

It has been reported that approximately £30-33m of public money would be invested in infrastructure to welcome the major. 

No dates have been set, but it is likely the 2029 Women's Open will head to Portmarnock. 

The men will follow within five years. 

The R&A took the Walker Cup to Portmarnock in 1991 and the Amateur Championship was also held their three years ago.

The R&A also previously excluded Portmarnock from Open consideration because the club only allowed men to be members.

That all changed in 2021. 

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