R&A chief rules out taking Open to Royal Porthcawl

Sorry, Wales.

Your wait to stage The Open looks like it’s going to go on indefinitely.

Speaking on the eve of this year’s championship at Royal Liverpool, Martin Slumbers, the chief executive of the R&A, ruled out taking golf’s oldest major to the Principality any time soon.

There had been speculation that Royal Porthcawl could be added to the rota, particularly given the increasing frequency with which it has been used to stage other R&A events.

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Since 1951, the south Wales links has staged the Amateur Championship six times, as well as the Curtis Cup and Walker Cup.

The Senior Open has visited three times since 2014, and will do so again next week, with the AIG Women’s Open slated to vist in 2025.

The Open, though, won’t be following suit.

Asked about the prospect, Slumbers said: “The simple answer is no. There’s no doubt Royal Porthcawl is a golf course that’s world class. It’s absolutely world class. It’s a great joy to play.

“But we need a lot of land. We need a lot of infrastructure. We need a lot of facilities for a championship of this size. At present, that is just not possible in that part of the country.”

Slumbers also poured cold water on the prospect of Turnberry returning to the Open Rota any time In the immediate future.

The championship has been hosted by the Ayrshire resort on four previous occasions, most recently in 2009 when Stewart Cink pipped Tom Watson to the Claret Jug.

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However, the fact that it is owned by Donald Trump have proven problematic for the R&A and, following the former American president’s role in the January 6 riots in the USA, golf’s administrators moved quickly to disassociate themselves and their most lucrative championship from him.

That’s a position that shows no sign of changing.

“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,” said Slumbers.

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor