If you were in Nicola Sturgeon's shoes right now you'd have cause to feel a mite uncomfortable about a potential embarrassment looming her way.

Unlike her predecessor in office, Alex Salmond, no-one could confuse Sturgeon for a golf enthusiast. But the sport is about to hand Scotland's first minister a pretty poisoned chalice.

It can all be summed up in two words: Donald Trump.

Sturgeon is due in Gullane at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open on Sunday, to take on Salmond's old role of prize-ceremony bigwig at the conclusion of the tournament.

Unlike Salmond, however, Sturgeon is highly unlikely to come breenging into the press centre to talk to journalists about the future of the Scottish Open, and with good reason.

Sturgeon's government - it is an old Salmond legacy - has made a commendable commitment to the Scottish Open, investing in it to the tune of £1m a year as back up to Aberdeen Asset Management. But what was once a happy marriage is now looking potentially compromised.

Trump has seen to this, with his crass, offensive comments about Mexican immigrants in the USA. A painful reminder of what he said last week:

"They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists. And some, I believe, are good people…"

Following these remarks a number of decent organisations all over the USA are severing their ties with Trump.

In Scotland, if it comes to it, will the Scottish government follow suit?

It may become a moot question, depending on where the government-backed Scottish Open is taken after its Castle Stuart playing in 2016.

It is inconceivable, in light of Trump's outburst, that Sturgeon and her government could be seen to back a move to take the tournament to Trump International in Aberdeenshire in 2017 and beyond. Yet this is precisely where the event is rumoured to be heading.

The Press and Journal, with its close ties to that north-east resort, has already reported that Trump International will host the event in 2017, 2019 and 2020.

Trump himself, rarely retiring about these things, has even stated that the Scottish Open will go to his course "on a permanent basis".

Ultimately, the venue for future Scottish Opens should be a European Tour decision, and Trump's place in Aberdeen has carried much favour in recent months.

But this would now be an embarrassing scenario for Scottish golf. As much as it loves its north-east base, it may also cause discomfort for Aberdeen Asset Management, an otherwise generous backer of the sport in this country.

For Sturgeon and her government, to back or even acknowledge Trump getting the Scottish Open at Balmedie, is an unarguable non-starter. There would be hell to pay for a Sturgeon administration, with its every other utterance being about equality and fairness and social integration, backing the bigoted-sounding Trump.

It is fair to point out that this is not anything of the Scottish government's own making. But, by its historic devotion to the Scottish Open, it now faces quite a headache.

Trump, evidently no calm voice on either immigration or ethnicity, is now finding himself being ostracised all over golf.

In America public brands such as NBC Universal, Macy's, Univision and NASCAR have already severed their Trump ties in recent days.

After much dithering the PGA of America has also pulled its Grand Slam of Golf away from Trump's Los Angeles resort, scheduled for October.

Two other Trump resorts are due to host the 2017 US Women's Open and the 2022 US PGA Championship, and will now come under review.

Trump the presidential hopeful - if this is what he remains - is discovering that all the money and ego in the world cannot fix foot-in-mouth disease.

The Ricoh Women's British Open will go ahead at Trump's Turnberry on the Scottish west coast in three weeks' time, but that would surely have been moved, had time permitted, following Trump's Mexican outburst.

Some may argue that all of this is indignant hot air. So what if Trump takes a dim view of Mexican immigrants in his homeland? Should the rest of us worry?

Maybe not, but that is a detachment that Nicola Sturgeon and her Scottish government cannot afford. If they want to back golf and the Scottish Open, and also remain true to their principles, then Sturgeon cannot have any truck with Trump whatsoever.

For some of us, meanwhile, the desire to play some of these magnificent Trump golf resorts here in Scotland has suddenly lost its appeal.