Donald Trump hinted the Scottish Open could become a permanent fixture at his Aberdeenshire golf resort – as he officially opened its new multimillion-pound clubhouse.
The New York-based businessman made the revelation during a visit to the north-east to set the seal on the latest piece in the jigsaw of his Trump International Golf Links Scotland development.
He said he hoped his plans for a hotel at the resort at Menie, near Balmedie, would progress in time for his championship course’s anticipated hosting of the Scottish Open for the first time in 2017.
He also reaffirmed his commitment to completing his vision for the resort, which includes a second 18-hole championship course and staff accommodation.
He made the pledge just days after losing his latest legal challenge to an offshore wind farm planned for nearby Aberdeen Bay.
He said work on the course and hotel accommodation, which will be villas built in units around the five-star MacLeod House & Lodge Hotel, would begin as soon as planning consent was granted – which he expects will be within the next four months.
“I am able to build the hotel in phases because of the way that it is laid out,” he said.
“We’re going to need the rooms, the Scottish Open is coming. They want it to be permanent, forever, they don’t want to go to other places.
“We’ve had rave reviews of the first course and we’re going to try and match that with the second course. We’ve got some of the best land left, with tremendous views and tremendous North Sea frontage.
“We’re also looking at doing a 50-bed employment suite so our staff have somewhere to stay.”
Mr Trump told a group of invited guests that his vision to hold championship tournaments at Menie began to fall into place after he took the chief executive of Aberdeen Asset Management – which sponsors the Scottish Open – on a tour of the site last year.
He said: “I have great respect for Martin Gilbert, he’s done an amazing job. He called me about a year ago and he said he had heard great things about this course.
“We toured it with his lovely daughter and he said he had never seen anything like it.
“So they do want to have the Scottish Open here. We are in the process of getting it finalised and they want it here for many years.
“And the reason is because we’ve built perhaps the greatest golf course out of anywhere in the world and that’s why they want it here. They want links and this is the ultimate links course.
“We have the makings of the deal, we are very much in the final documents.”
The Press and Journal revealed yesterday a three-year deal had been struck to bring the European Tour to Trump International Golf Links Scotland in 2017, 2019 and 2020.
However, Peter Adams, championship director of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, said: “Trump International Golf Links is one of a number of clubs with which The European Tour has been in conversation.
“Confirmation of the selection of the venue for 2017 will be announced in due course.”
Mr Trump said the move to hold the tournament at his Aberdeenshire course would be a huge boost for the region.
He added: “We’re going to bring tremendous amounts of tourism to the area with the Scottish Open. It will open everyone’s eyes, people will love this place.”
His comments were echoed by Aberdeenshire’s newly-appointed provost Hamish Vernal, who said: “I have played here a couple of times a year since it opened. It’s a fantastic golf course.
“I think it’s very important to the north-east, not just to Aberdeen city and shire, but the whole of the north-east.
“The news from Mr Trump that the Scottish Open will most likely be coming here is wonderful news. It will be an important economic boost to the north-east.”