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.

Comments

[Chico]

@ El Gringo- only because they were made with a bulldozer rather than nature. Good courses but the purists here prefer the natural way.

[Tom Morris]

It's down to the details from the likes of the Castle Course at St Andrews, slowly sliding towards the sea not to mention the years of corrective works required to fix the fake bits . Then Castle Stuart, it was scattered with load of fake or rotten sleepers to try to add age to the courses.

It is in part as Chico states but it goes further - in the way the land is selected, not because it has potential, because any potential is indeed bulldozed away down to near bedrock before being reformed in Man's image of what today's designer believe to be a good course or should resemble, resulting in the very heart, spirit and very essence that is golf being eliminated in the process. Add to that the seeming impossibility to design and build great Holes that match up to many of those old Holes built in the mid 1800's and much copied.

The modern ethos is to remove the challenges, to down play the skill and ability to navigate through the hazards and bunkers and replace it with courses that favour the low score by making them more suitable for the aerial game - the actual game of golf as it was one played has been breed right out of the game - hence why so many golfer love the older course as they are more fitting to the game of golf and skill levels.

Hazards are not just bunkers, they embrace so much more and are there to test the golfer while he tries to stay out of the bunkers/sand traps. Super smooth does not cut it, its just not a deterrent, narrow fairways focus the mind but does not develop visual skills not allow for lower skill levels. And once we start compacting sand in shallow bunkers they just become an extension to the fairway offering not penalty whatsoever. Golf design require thinking from both the designer and the Golfer - if the designer cannot get the Golfer thinking then he should pack up and go home.

I am not saying the new courses are poor, but they are lacking in many things that define the game as being Golf and bulldozers nor a bit of fake timber will just not cut it - purist - no, but a Golfer, very much a yes.