Trump Tells The Open Championship Organizers ‘Controversy Only Makes Things Hotter’

Former US President Donald Trump said in a statement on Saturday that The Open Championship should have been hosted at his golf course resort in Scotland.

The championship, which began on Wednesday, is being hosted at the Royal St. George's in Kent in England. Trump said that he has spent some time watching the championship, and called it "terrific." But he feels that the "greatest site and course of all" for the event is Turnberry, in Scotland.

He described it as a "magical place" where the players want to be. He believes that at some point in time, they will be there. According to him, his course was not chosen for the championship as "they consider a wonderful person, and many-time Club Champion, named Donald J. Trump, to be too controversial." He went on to say that this is a "false reputation caused mainly by the Fake News Media," reported The Hill.

"Remember, though, controversy only makes things 'hotter,'" he added.

Trump, who loves to play golf, is hopeful about The Open returning to Turnberry. He is said to have bought the property for $63 million in 2014.

Meanwhile, golfer Brooks Koepka recently said that Royal St. George's is not his "favorite venue that we have played," reported Daily Mail.

On why he isn't a big fan of the venue, he shared, "Whether it be a couple shots to nothing, a couple blind tee shots or shots in where you can't really see much. I'm not too big of a fan of that."

Even though Trump hopes The Open comes back to Turnberry, it won't be possible in the near future as the R&A has named The Open venues through 2024, and Turnberry did not make it to that list, according to Golf Digest.

The R&A had issued a statement six days after the US Capitol riot in January saying that it wouldn’t return for “the foreseeable future” until the ruling body “is convinced that the focus will be on the championship, the players and the course itself and we do not believe that is achievable in the current circumstances.”

Following the Jan. 6 incident, several businesses disassociated themselves from Trump and his company. Even social media companies like Twitter banned him from their platforms.