Royal Lytham to host 2028 Open as Trump's Turnberry misses out

The Open will return to Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2028, with US President Donald Trump's Turnberry, and Muirfield, among the courses to miss out.

Turnberry last hosted The Open in 2009 - five years before Trump bought the course - while Muirfield has not held the tournament since 2013.

Last year R&A officials met with Trump's son Eric to discuss the tournament returning to Turnberry.

At the time R&A chief executive Mark Darbon said there were "big logistical issues" at the venue.

Darbon also acknowledged that the UK government had spoken with the R&A about Turnberry hosting The Open.

Asked on Monday about Turnberry and Muirfield's futures as Open venues, he said "dialogue was ongoing".

It will be the 12th time The Open has been held at Royal Lytham, which last staged golf's oldest major in 2012.

Darbon said: "This is one of golf's most cherished and historic venues."

The return to Lytham will mark the third time in six years that the north-west coast of England will host the tournament.

The Open was held at Royal Liverpool in 2023 and will be hosted by Royal Birkdale in Southport from 16-19 July this year.

In 2027 the Old Course in St Andrews will stage the event for a record-extending 31st time.

The Open, the final major of the year, is usually held during the third week of July, but is being pushed back to 3-6 August in 2028 to avoid clashing with the Los Angeles Olympic Games golf competitions, which are being played from 19-29 July.

Why Royal Lytham got the nod

Lytham, near Blackpool, has a pedigree of hosting some of golf's most prestigious tournaments.

It has staged 11 Opens, five Women's Opens, two Ryder Cups, five Senior Opens, the Walker Cup and the Curtis Cup.

Despite being close to the coast, players and spectators cannot see the sea, with the tight plot of land hemmed in by a railway track and houses.

The R&A has required Lytham to carry out significant work to create space for the demands of a modern Open.

The main change centred around remodelling the par-five 11th - turning it from a dog-leg to a 601-yard straight hole by removing numerous bushes - to allow for the construction of a new practice area.

There have also been improvements to the course's internal road system to provide better access and for routine maintenance.

The changes will be in the spotlight when the course hosts the AIG Women's Open from 29 July to 2 August.

The Open first went to Lytham in 1926, with legendary American amateur Bobby Jones, who would go on to help design Augusta National and co-found the Masters, winning the first of three Claret Jugs.

Spanish great Seve Ballesteros claimed two of his three Open wins in Lytham, in 1979 and 1988.