DONALD Trump's Turnberry remains in contention to host golf's oldest major tournament - but would not be on course to feature for at least another five years.
The Royal & Ancient, the St Andrews-based governing body which organises The Open, has said that it can work with the US president, indicating that nothing he has done before and after he became the leader of the free world is standing in the way of Turnberry's future prospects.
The news came as MPs clashed over whether Donald Trump should be given a state visit to the UK in a packed Westminster debate.
Protesters gathered outside as the SNP's international affairs spokesman Alex Salmond said it was difficult to know whether to be "appalled at the morality or astonished by the stupidity" of the state visit invitation extended by the Prime Minister, while Tory Nigel Evans told the US president's critics to "get over it".
The Westminster Hall debate was triggered by two petitions - one against the state visit, which got 1.85 million signatures, and one in favour which got 311,000.
Read more: Nick Rodger - Muirfield and Trump on the agenda as R&A host annual Round Table
Trump's Turnberry had once been favourite to host the Open in 2021 or 2022, but after his remarks calling for a ban on Muslims entering the US in late 2015, the R&A privately let it be known that the renamed Trump Turnberry may no longer host the game's most prestigious tournament.
Then prospects were blighted by controversial remarks made by Mr Trump in his campaign for the Republican nomination – about Muslims, Mexicans, Chinese and women, among others – and gave him a near-pariah status in the global game, raising the risk of a boycott by sponsors and international players.
Previously, the chief executive of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, Martin Slumbers, had been expected to endorse Turnberry as a venue for the 2020 Open.
But in June, 2015 Mr Trump called Mexican immigrants “rapists” and called for a wall to be built along the United States-Mexico border. The comment, according to R&A insiders at the time, raised eyebrows about what might come next.
The Grand Slam of Golf was moved from Trump National in Los Angeles, while the PGA Tour switched the WGC-Cadillac Championship from Trump National Doral to Mexico City from this year. The event was renamed the WGC-Mexico Championship and will be staged next week.
Read more: Nick Rodger - Muirfield and Trump on the agenda as R&A host annual Round Table
Since Trump became the US president, he has committed to building the wall, and brought in a ban on citizens from seven mainly Muslim countries from entering the US that was subsequently suspended.
Speaking as Royal St George’s was announced as the host of the 2020 British Open, R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said that nothing had happened in the past year had changed their focus on Turnberry - which last staged the Open in 2009.
He said: “Turnberry remains absolutely as one of our nine golf courses – 2020 and 2021 did not involve Turnberry and we’ll not be thinking about 2022 for at least another year."
Read more: Nick Rodger - Muirfield and Trump on the agenda as R&A host annual Round Table
The 150th edition of The Open in 2021 is to be held at St Andrews.
“I think it’s very important that we’re clear about what our business is, which is making sure that the Open Championship is one of the world’s greatest sporting events, and staying out of politics," added Mr Slumbers.
“We are clearly now in uncharted territory. Sitting presidents have attended US Opens. We have not had a sitting president of the United States at an Open Championship.
"We're all learning as we go through this. But I think it's important for us that we understand where the game is and make sure we keep to that, without ignoring all the other factors that go around it."
Mr Slumbers said he believed President Trump had been "good for golf" in terms of the renovation of a number of his courses and that he would accept an invite to play golf with him.
"With all senior people in the world, I think it's polite and respectful to listen to them and work with them," he added. "It's very important that we work with the President if Turnberry did come back on. That would just be foolhardy not to."
He also confirmed that Muirfield could be back in the reckoning if it votest to admit women members – at the second time of asking – next month.
Mr Slumbers said the R&A would respond as swiftly to a positive vote on women members as it did when removing the East Lothian course from the Open rota after last May's ballot narrowly failed to achieve the two-thirds majority required.
"Muirfield is a wonderful golf course, it's a great Open venue," Slumbers added. "We're very pleased they are going through that process and we wait to see the outcome.
"We would reconsider and make an announcement very quickly if that vote comes through positively."
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