Donald Trump and son Eric expect The Open to return to Turnberry

Donald Trump and his son Eric are confident they will bring The Open back to Turnberry.

The US Presidential candidate bought the Ayrshire hotel and golf course resort for an undisclosed sum in 2014 and flew in by helicopter to visit on Friday for the reopening of the refurbished venue.

Turnberry last hosted The Open in 2009 but Trump's son Eric - who is the executive vice-president of the Trump Organisation - said he expects it will be back at the venue in either 2022 or 2023.

"There's no question," he told Sky Sports News. "From everything that I hear and read and the people that I speak to that we'll get it back and so I'm hopeful for one of those years."

He said they were in close dialogue with the Royal and Ancient (R&A), golf's governing body outside north America which stages The Open at different UK courses in rotation.

This Year's Open starts on Thursday, July 14, at Royal Troon with live coverage on the Sky Sports The Open channel.

It is widely expected that the prestigious golf championship will be played in England in 2020 and at St Andrews in 2021 - meaning 2022 would be the earliest it could return to Turnberry.

"They're amazing people and we've all got to know them incredibly well," added Trump junior.

"Literally every aspect of this property was done in conjunction with them - the changes that they wanted, everything from spectator flow to camera set-ups, to all the equipment on the actual course itself, and course layouts, tee layouts - every aspect of the tournament was worked in conjunction with them so I feel very good that we'll get it."

He added that he did not think his father's political ambitions will have any influence on Turnberry's status going forward, and fully expects Turnberry to be named as the host course for either 2022 or 2023, whenever the R&A convenes to decide on the venues for those years.

Eric Trump said he agrees with the R&A's position on promoting diversity at all levels in golf.

He confirmed that all Trump golf properties are open to women members, adding that the issue of diversity in golf is significantly different to questions on illegal immigration - an issue which has been a controversial part of his father's campaign to become US President. 

Speaking hours after the announcement of the UK's Brexit vote, he repeated his father's pledges that the Trump family have no fears about continuing to invest in British golf despite the referendum result.