Q&A: Do we have 'Farage Derangement Syndrome'? Plus the team reveal their most awkward interviews
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Telegraph
a day ago
- Telegraph
Donald Trump claims on R&A's Turnberry spending are ‘well wide of the mark'
Donald Trump's claims that the R&A has invested 'millions of dollars' in updating Turnberry's broadcasting and communications facilities in preparations for The Open returning to his Ayrshire links are understood to be well wide of the mark. Sources insist that, in complete contrast to the US President's comments, the R&A has not done any such work on cabling since a small amount was laid in 2009. Trump made the assertion when landing in Scotland on Friday night for his five-day visit. 'The infrastructure of the course is good,' he told The Telegraph when asked about the R&A repeatedly stating that substantial amounts of work would need to be done on logistics before it would consider taking the major to Turnberry again. 'In fact, the Royal and Ancient [sic], I don't know you're aware of this ... they spent a lot of money, hundreds of thousands of dollars, probably into the millions of dollars. And they've laid all the wire for television and for electricity under the holes of Turnberry, so that when the Open gets there, they have it all done.' The R&A declined to comment on Saturday, but it is understood that a little cable was laid in and around the 18th and the [fans] village in 2009 and nothing has been done since then. What has been laid wouldn't even be usable now according to sources and did not come at significant cost. Trump has lobbied for the Open to return to the course after he dished out his own millions to improve the layout and the hotel that is on the property. Yet while the former R&A chief executive, Martin Slumbers, declared 'we will not be taking events there until we're comfortable that the whole dialogue will be about golf', his successor, Mark Darbon, has indicated that the main stumbling block is not Trump's character or his penchant for stealing the spotlight, but the remoteness of the resort he bought for $60m in 2014. 'We love the golf course but we've got some big logistical challenges there,' Darbon said at last week's Open. 'You see the scale of their set-up here [Royal Portrush] and we've got some work to do on the road, rail and accommodation infrastructure around Turnberry. We've explicitly not taken it out of our pool of venues but we'd need to address those logistical challenges should we return.' Darbon met earlier this year with Eric Trump, the President's son who runs the family's portfolio of upmarket golf clubs, and informed him of the scale of development needed and stressed that Government support would be necessary. Regardless of any Whitehall pressure, it is highly unlikely the R&A will budge on this thorny issue. It relies on the revenue from its major to govern and develop amateur and recreational golf in 146 countries internationally and while Portrush last week attracted a crowd of 280,000, only 123,000 showed up at Turnberry the last time it played host 16 years ago. That could lead to a draining shortfall and the feeling in the sport's corridors of power is that even if the green light was given for a new road and a new station – not to mention a few hotels – Turnberry still might have to wait at least another decade. And Trump's wildly inaccurate statements will hardly assist in whetting the R&A's appetite to return.
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
Trump withheld billions from schools. Now he's giving it back.
Madi Biedermann, a deputy assistant secretary for communications at the White House, told USA TODAY in an email July 25 the agency's review of the money complete and the agency will begin disbursing funds to states next week. "OMB has completed its review of Title I-C, Title II-A, Title III-A, and Title IV-A ESEA funds and Title II WIOA funds, and has directed the Department to release all formula funds," Biedermann wrote. The Trump administration announced that it released more than $1 billion of the paused funding to schools for after-school and summer learning programs on July 18. The release of the funds completes the review, she said. White House unfreezes: $1 billion for after-school, summer programs The move comes after a period of anxiety among school leaders and mounting pressure from those concerned about what the funding freeze would mean for the fall. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, who championed the release of the paused funding, posted on X, telling his constituents about "exciting news to announce!" "All frozen education funding for the upcoming school year have been released, following my letter to the OMB!" he said. Contact Kayla Jimenez at kjimenez@ Follow her on X at @kaylajjimenez.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Donald Trump is here for more than a friendly round of golf... he wants to see The Open back at Turnberry
After touching down at Prestwick Airport last night, Donald Trump disembarked from Air Force One, took some questions and then headed south to his luxurious resort at Turnberry. Among some rather more serious issues, he was also asked about his golf course in Ayrshire hosting The Open. And he was unequivocal... he wants the Championship back there. After spending some time at Turnberry, he will head north to officially open a new golf course at his other resort near Aberdeen, before meeting Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to hold talks over trade deals. Trump arrives to a very mixed backdrop of protests, petitions and political unrest, as well as enjoying support in some quarters. His golf course at Turnberry has been back in the headlines after the idea of hosting the Open Championship was raised again. R&A chief executive Mark Darbon stated that talks remain ongoing with the Trump family, and said of Turnberry: 'We love the golf course but we have some big logistical issues there.' Here, Mail Sport's Calum Crowe puts Turnberry under the microscope and assesses the likelihood of it hosting The Open once again, as well as looking at some of the changes Trump has made. What is Turnberry's history with The Open and how did we get to this point? With its stunning scenery and spectacular layout, the Ailsa Course has hosted The Open on four occasions. Its first staging of the championship in 1977 saw the famous Duel in the Sun between Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson. Greg Norman then won his first major at the venue in 1986, before Nick Price prevailed in 1994. In 2009, we nearly witnessed the greatest sports story ever told when Watson, aged 59, came agonisingly close to what would have been a sixth Claret Jug, losing in a play-off to Stewart Cink. Turnberry hasn't hosted the tournament since then, with Trump buying the resort for around £40million in 2014. Peter Dawson, who was the outgoing chief executive of the R&A at the time, had initially been positive about Trump's involvement and the plans to invest £200m in upgrading the golf course and wider facilities on the 800-acre site. But, by the time Trump had been elected as President for the first time in 2017, relations had soured. He was viewed as politically toxic and the R&A wanted nothing to do with him. Although Turnberry has never officially been taken off the rota, it was widely accepted that The Open would never return there while it was under Trump's ownership. Martin Slumbers, who replaced Dawson as R&A chief executive, said last year: 'The position at the moment, in respect of Turnberry, is that we will not be taking events there until we're comfortable that the whole dialogue will be about golf.' Slumbers has since moved on and been replaced by Darbon. How does Turnberry compare to other Open venues in terms of logistics and transport? It's often said that Turnberry lacks the infrastructure and travel network to host an event like The Open. There's certainly an element of truth in that. For instance, for anyone travelling south from Ayr or Glasgow, there are only really two roads. There is the A77, which is essentially the main road and would be the most popular route for anyone travelling by car. There is now a new bypass which means you no longer have to drive through the tight and twisty streets of Maybole. That is undoubtedly a huge help, with the other road being the coastal route which takes you past Maidens and Culzean Castle. But the closest train stations to Turnberry are Girvan and Maybole, both of which would then require a shuttle bus to reach the golf course. It's not ideal, but St Andrews suffers from similar problems. The road network around the wider area near St Andrews is awful and regularly gridlocked during The Open. The closest train station is Leuchars which, like Girvan and Maybole, is a few miles away from the main venue and requires shuttle buses. Royal St George's is another course on the current rota where the roads and travel network are far from ideal. So, while Turnberry certainly faces its challenges in terms of travel, it's really not any worse than certain other courses. What improvements has Trump made to the golf course and the property as a whole? When he bought the resort in 2014, Trump pledged to pump around £200m into the renovation of both the course and the hotel facilities to make it among the best of its kind anywhere in the world. On that front, it's been a resounding success. Already a top-class course even prior to his involvement, the Ailsa has been redeveloped to brilliant effect. The initial changes began in 2015, and all 18 holes were revamped to some degree or another. The biggest changes were from coastal holes 4 through to 11, with many of the greens and tees being redesigned. The famous lighthouse was also redesigned into a halfway house which now features catering and hospitality facilities. Further enhancements were completed earlier this year, led by renowned architect Martin Ebert. The biggest change saw the green at the par-five 7th moved more towards the cliff edge for more dramatic effect. The changes to the hotel and facilities have also been well received. All 204 guest rooms have been fully refurbished, as well as all bars and restaurant spaces. Nine new cottage suites have been built, at a cost of around £1.6m each. They are more geared towards family breaks and are dog-friendly. Turnberry is also now an increasingly popular wedding venue. What would all of this cost to the average member of the public? On the face of it, the current green fee for a round on the Ailsa Course is pretty eye-watering. If you are not staying at the hotel and want to book a tee time in peak season (May-September) before 1pm, it'll cost you £1,000. That makes it one of the most expensive in Europe. Teeing off after 1pm, it'll be £545. There is a huge difference, though, if you are staying at the hotel as a guest. If so, you will pay £425 during peak times, and £315 during off-peak season. For context, a round at Royal Troon just a little further up the road will cost you £365. If you're staying at Turnberry, a standard double room will cost £674 per night during peak season. The suites, named after the golfers who won The Open at Turnberry, start at just under £2,500 per night. The hotel sells bottles of whisky in excess of £60,000 a pop. There are 352 chandeliers in total, with the eight in the main ballroom costing £250,000 each. If you want to get married at Turnberry, the average wedding at the luxury five-star venue is believed to cost between £25,000-£30,000. If you were to go for the top-end package and hire the Donald J Trump Ballroom, you would be well in excess of £50,000. To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, but only if you happen to have a spare 50 grand lying around... What are the key reasons behind the R&A's reluctance to go back to Turnberry? Is it really all about Trump? It all boils down to two key reasons: Trump and money. The R&A viewed him as politically toxic when he was elected as President first time around. Above and beyond the logistical challenges of going back to Turnberry, it was that toxicity which became the main issue. In 2015, when Turnberry hosted the Women's Open during his election campaign, Trump arrived in a helicopter on the front lawn outside the hotel. Immediately holding a press conference, he declared: 'The world has asked me to be here.' The golf tournament was relegated to a footnote. At the recent FIFA Club World Cup in America, he was front and centre for Chelsea's trophy celebrations. The R&A shudder to think how he would behave if the Claret Jug was to be presented to the Champion Golfer of the Year at Turnberry. The financial implications of going back to Turnberry have also grown to a level where it is now money — rather than Trump — that is blocking a return. The Open Championship has grown exponentially from the last time Turnberry played host in 2009. Attendances over the week are now regularly in excess of 250,000. At Royal Portrush last week, the final figure was 278,000. At St Andrews in 2022, it was a record 290,000. In 2009, there were only around 120,000 fans in attendance at Turnberry. Given the financial hit that lower attendances would pose to their revenue streams, there's no way the R&A will take that kind of risk unless major improvements are made to Turnberry's logistics and infrastructure. While the golf course is among the best in the world, Turnberry is a fairly remote location, with limited travel and accommodation links, and no real town to speak of in the surrounding area. So, what does the future rota look like and when might we see Turnberry host The Open again? The next couple of years are already set in stone. In 2026, The Open will be held at Royal Birkdale, before going back to St Andrews in 2027. It's widely expected that Portmarnock in Ireland will be among the frontrunners to be added to the rota for 2028. That could push things as far back as 2029 before we might see The Open return to Turnberry. The R&A's stance has softened somewhat. They are not as vehemently opposed to Trump as they once were. They recognise that Turnberry is one of the most popular of all Open venues among the players. But, as Trump embarks on his tour of Scotland over these next few days, it still feels like there's a lot of boxes that need to be ticked before this sleeping beauty catches sight of the Claret Jug once more.
