Donald Trump Wants a US Open, Not the LPGA Championship

Donald Trump and the LPGA Tour have had a pretty productive relationship over the years.  Trump's Florida Trump International course hosted the ADT Championship for quite some time.  The Apprentice featured Natalie Gulbis as part of a challenge on the show, then later was a contestant on the celebrity rendition of the reality show.

But, a report in the Newark Star-Ledger seems to suggest that The Donald may be looking to move on to greener pastures - namely, a US Open.

Trump's Trump National-Bedminster Golf Club is going to host the US Junior Amateur next month.  Trump has been more than vocal about his desire to have his course host a US Open or a Ryder Cup one day.  Geoff Shackelford does not see Trump National having much of a chance.

Does the USGA really want to get in bed with Donald Trump? They are putting up with his overtures, playing plenty of golf at a course around the corner from Far Hills and bringing joint boys and girls junior Amateurs there this summer. But it's still hard to envision the uber-tacky Donald landing an Open.

Regardless of how realistic his chances of landing an Open may be, Trump has shuttered an offer from the LPGA Tour to have Bedminster host their LPGA Championship - currently without a home for next season.

"They came here, they wanted to be here and I turned them down," Trump said. "They wanted it for more than one year and I didn't want to commit the course for more than one year."

Perhaps Trump was looking to keep Bedminster available in the event that he could persuade the PGA Tour to move The Barclays to Trump National.  With news that Ridgewood and Plainfield will be hosting the next two years, it will not be until 2012 that Bedminster could host the PGA Tour. 

There could be an outside chance that the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston could fold because of the impact that the economic downturn has had on the bank and their ability to sponsor the event.  Trump could step in as both host and sponsor.

As for the wishes for a US Open, Trump would likely have to wait until 2020.  It is expected that Erin Hills, Torrey Pines, and Bethpage Black will be named host courses for US Opens from 2017-2019.  Chambers Bay, though, was an unexpected host after Winged Foot declined an invitation to host the 2015 Open.  Opportunity may again strike for Trump if one of these expected courses and - in the case of the government-owned courses - local authorities cannot agree with the USGA on the numbers.