Guardian: Trump Aberdeen Is Likely 2019 Scottish Open Venue
The Guardian's Ewan Murray reports exclusively that the European Tour has been making visits to Trump International Golf Links (Aberdeen) and appears set to rekindle a partnership that almost happened a few years ago (Telegraph/Corrigan).
The stars are aligning for the venue plagued by protests and other sagas since its inception, and even once thought to be hosting three Scottish Opens. Things changed when now-President Donald Trump made comments on the campaign trail.
Murray notes this as a key reason this may happen:
Martin Gilbert, Aberdeen Asset’s co-founder and chief executive, is close enough to Trump to have attended the president’s inauguration in January. With the Scottish Open broadcast live on the other side of the Atlantic, there is a growing link between the tournament and the United States.
Any such move would, however, be highly controversial. Among those who would need to be happy about it are Rolex, who have included the Scottish Open in their new and enhanced series on the European Tour. The Scottish government is also a partner in the tournament but did not respond to the Guardian’s request for comment regarding it being held at Trump International.
It's a partnership that makes obvious sense for Aberdeen Asset, especially if Royal Aberdeen is believed to be lukewarm on hosting again. However, of greater concern is the sheer difficulty of Trump International and how that aligns with former Commissioner George O'Grady's desire to play the Scottish Open on a fun, not-excessively difficult links test the week prior to The Open.
Last week, Gullane was announced as the 2018 Scottish Open(s) host.
Monday, June 26, 2017 at 10:44 AM
Reader Comments (42)
handicapper. Beautiful views though especially off of 18 tee.
dig
Technically Aberdeen is in the Lowlands.
I'm playing Trump Aberdeen next week. From the pics, it looks like a lot of the difficulty is because if the cultivated marram grass which is monsterous compared to typical seaside untended fescue. We shall see.
BTW - I am mostly an equal opportunity golfer and tend not to draw political lines. The one exception might be Kim Jong Un's golf resort outside of Pyongyang. Killing the that poor American college kid was evil.
BUT, weren't you a perennial apologist on this blog for pathological liar extraordinaire Tiggly Wiggly?
I can't see a first rate player subjecting himself to that kind of punishment two weeks in a row.
Sure will be interested in what you think after you play it.
What is the point of building these alien courses that destroy the very nature of the land they are built upon?
Then I suppose these fake courses are very much built and designed in their master's image. Then the SNP did prostrate themselves to get Trump to build in Scotland before they realised the nature of the Man - Still why built these things in Scotland, as the 'Home of Golf' we surely deserve better, don't we????
They are both right up there for me too.
Personally, I think North Berwick is magical as well.
The town, the atmosphere, the club members, the course.
Shit, now I'm homesick.
North Berwick has a special place in our hearts as defined in Tommy's Honour as well as the West Links being an Old Tom design from late 1876, although he left the Redan more or less unchanged.
Chico - I have never understood why so many travel to the UK to play these international courses which really do not represent our home courses - its like going overseas but refusing to eat the local dishes. There are so many other courses that offer so much more. No matter the course selected I believe they should be played twice i.e. AM & PM to just get to understand them.
Its always good to see courses being well used, however so many miss the real links experience by not playing the course in the morning and again in the afternoon.
Also it seems a shame to come over here and play a course that is more likely to be more akin to ones home course that a UK links course. The wealth of good courses can be found in Scotland Ireland and England, many well over a 100 years old with still some of the best holes and designs in the game.
The magic and spirit of some of these courses can only be seen if played over two rounds thus pushing the golfer to display his physical and mental skills - now that's golf, real golf.
Nothing at all, but its what you miss while playing these semi fake courses - that's the point, you miss the real courses, The reason many go to Scotland, Ireland or England to sample, yet you end up with playing these international style courses which you can find all over the world.
I can't give you a list of courses, because every time I do they are deleted, yet the Castle, Castle Stuart and Kingsbarn never are - and they just are fake.
Pretty sure most RA members enjoy the game and are very proud of their course. For anyone less than elite amateur it's a really tough test, and the members just wanted a similar set-up to their Monthly Medal conditions. Without question, the course was set up for low scoring.
Indeed it was and its been left with a fake course - seems much about Trump sticks to that word 'fake' I wonder why!
I don't know why you label the new Scottish links as fake. Some of the best holes in Scotland are part of those courses. I would go even further and say Kingsbarns and Castle Stuart are remarkable creations. What exactly is it you are expecting from new courses if a place like Castle Stuart doesn't deliver it?