Multiple major champ tears into 'unfair' decision about The Open
Multiple major champion Gary Player has urged R&A officials to take The Open Championship back to Turnberry despite its ties to Donald Trump.
Multiple major champion Gary Player has urged R&A officials to take The Open back to Turnberry, insisting Donald Trump is a 'very nice man' who will 'improve democracy'.
Player made the comments in an interview with bunkered's Ben Parsons.
The Open has not been held at Turnberry since 2009 when Stewart Cink captured the claret jug.
Trump has owned Turnberry since 2014 and the course was taken off The Open rota following the U.S. Capitol riots.
The PGA of America also stripped Trump's Bedminster Club of the right to stage the PGA Championship.
Player said: "It must come back [to Turnberry].
"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 won nine major championships throughout his hall of fame career, including three Open victories.
Those victories came at Muirfield in 1959, Carnoustie in 1968 and Royal Lytham and St Annes in 1974.
The Open will head to Royal Portrush in 2025 and Royal Birkdale a year later.
No decision has been made about where it will head to after that.
Departing R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers confirmed before the 152nd Open at Royal Troon that no decisions have yet been made about taking the major to Royal Portmarnock in the Republic of Ireland.
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."
One venue that will definitely host The Open again is the aforementioned Muirfield.
The Championship hasn't been played at the Gullane venue since 2013, when Phil Mickelson lifted the trophy.
"Absolutely, we're going back to Muirfield," Slumbers said in his annual news conference.
"It's a brilliant golf course."
