Is there an airport near Royal Troon? Trump-linked runway turns down fortune during Open and had Elvis ask ‘where am I?’

The world’s best golfers have descended on Royal Troon to battle the Scottish wind, rain and even the occasional plane.

It’s an unwritten rule that fans should be quiet when a player is on the tee box or green – but 747s flying overhead don’t always get the message.

Getty

The famous Scottish links will test an all-star Open field this week to adapt to what’s in the sky as much as what’s in front of them on the green.

Temporary airspace restrictions are in place over Troon from 5am on Sunday, July 14, running until 10.30pm the day after the 152nd edition of The Open ends on Monday, July 22.

However, that won’t prevent Rory McIlroy and co from the sounds of all jet engines during their Scottish stay.

Is there an airport next to Royal Troon?

Yes, the venue for 2024’s final major of the season is adjacent to state-owned Prestwick International Airport.

Glasgow/Prestwick (PIK) Airport is around 3 miles from Royal Troon’s clubhouse but just a stone’s throw over the A79 from the 9th green and 10th tee box.

The close proximity means planes taking off or landing at the airport are spotted over the iconic ‘Postage Stamp’ 8th tee.

One infamous incident saw Spaniard Sergio Garcia forced to stop a press conference because the noise was so loud.

Getty

Getty

The airport’s then-spokesman, Eddie Allison, told the Independent in 2004: “It’s quite normal for us to host tests, but I can assure you we’ve turned down business during the Open, at a cost of between £5,000 and £10,000 per day.

“It’s a good neighbour policy and a small contribution to the local community.”

Prestwick Airport’s airfield operates 24 hours a day and has no noise restrictions or time-slot constraints despite the famous golf club next door.

It has the longest commercial runway north of Manchester Airport and in terms of passenger traffic, is Scotland‘s fifth-busiest airport.

Getty

However, more famously, it is more widely known as an unlikely celebrity hotspot.

The airport is the only confirmed place in the UK where Elvis Presley (who had distant Scottish ancestry) was known to have set foot.

‘The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ touched down on British soil after a United States Air Force transport plane chartering him home from military service in Germany stopped for a re-fuelling break.

Elvis greeted adoring Scottish fans on the tarmac at Prestwick Airport after reportedly uttering the famous words: “Where am I?”

His visit has since been immortalised in the airport’s Elvis Presley Bar.

In recent times, it is the landing site for US presidential candidate Donald Trump, with the airport close to his Turnberry golf resort.

During his time as President, the US government was revealed as the No.1 customer of the airport after splashing nearly £25million in three years.

Scottish politician Patrick Harvie later accused the SNP Government of running the landing strip as a ‘Pentagon petrol pump’.

A 2018 Guardian report revealed the airport also provided cut-rate rooms and free rounds of golf at Turnberry for select airline crews.

Trump returned to Prestwick in May 2023, during his first visit to the UK since 2019.

You may be able to hear the sound of plane engines at Royal Troon when listening in to talkSPORT 2’s live coverage.

We will have commentary from Troon with Marcus Buckland, Sue Thearle, Ron Jones, Matt Adams and Rupert Bell.

To tune in to talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream. You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.