TURNBERRY is no longer believed to be under consideration for hosting The Open following a series of controversial remarks made by owner Donald Trump.
Golf's governing body, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, is understood to have privately decided the course is no longer eligible to host the tournament after the American billionaire's comments "about Muslims, Mexicans, Chinese and women, among others" received widespread condemnation.
Trump Turnberry has hosted the British Open four times and awarding it a fifth was rumoured to be only a formality.
The new chief executive of the R&A, Martin Slumbers, had been expected to endorse Turnberry as a venue for the 2020 Open.
But Mr Trump's comments believed to have caused a serious risk the competition could be boycotted by both sponsors and players should it be held at Turnberry.
More than 550,000 people have signed a government petition calling for Trump to be banned from the UK.
Since Trump’s controversial demand for Muslims to be temporarily banned from entering the US following an Islamic State inspired mass shooting in San Bernardino, he remains the Republican frontrunner in the race for the White House.
Latest polls put Trump at 30 per cent of the vote to win the Republican candidacy, with his nearest party rival Ted Cruz trailing on 15 per cent.
But it is understood that the R&A was first alerted to Trump's contentious views in June when he described Mexican immigrants as "rapists."
One unnamed R&A member reportedly said: "Those who forecast worse would come, including warnings from our American cousins, have been proved correct."
On the body's discussions of Trump's behaviour and whether action should be taken, another member of the R&A is said to have added: "One word was thrown around: Enough."
But it is believed the R&A has not ruled out the possibility of Turnberry ever hosting the event again, though it appears it may not for as long as it is owned by Trump.
The property tycoon bought the Turnberry resort in April last year from the subsidiary owned by the Dubai investment group chaired by Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. It was renamed Trump Turnberry and a £200m upgrade was promised.
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