In the wake of the PGA of America’s decision to move next year’s PGA Championship away from Trump National Bedminster, the R&A has underlined its reluctance to grant what is now Trump Turnberry the opportunity to host the Open for a fifth time.
The moves complete the shift in venues brought on by the decision to call off this year’s Open at Royal St George’s in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A fortnight was all the time it took for this year’s Open – what should have been the 149th playing of golf’s oldest Major – to go from scheduled to cancelled.
Shane Lowry should be at Royal St George’s Golf Club defending the claret jug this week. Instead, he’s at Muirfield Village Golf Club after the Open Championship was cancelled and the Memorial was moved back six weeks.
I’m here to examine the most prominent debates, and then, using the solemn power vested in me by the Golf Digest byline, to declare a victor once and for all. The decisions that follow will be binding.
Five days after Australian Golf Digest first reported that the Open Championship would be cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the R&A made it official overnight.
