Forward Press: Doral Week On Edge!

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A normal week of Doral intrigue might include Donald Trump spat with his Blue Monster neighbors. But the presumptive Republican nominee is busy with Super Tuesday, with only plans to roll in Sunday for a low profile appearance at the WGC Cadillac.

But this is The Donald, and between his spats with the PGA Tour brass, the expiration of Cadillac's role, player perception of a Blue Monster bias and pre-Masters pressure building, the week seems ripe for something happening like we've never seen. I explain the many dynamics in play in this week's GolfDigest.com Forward Press, along with a preview of the best LPGA field yet as that tour preps for its first major.

We discussed the Doral week issues on Morning Drive:

Trump Doral: "Next week is the equivalent of a date night with someone you’ve already served divorce papers on."

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Susanne Crane and David Chen of the New York Times tried to brand Donald Trump a non-player in the city that openly declares itself the greatest in the world.

Poor Donald!

It's a strange "Special Report" attempting to belittle the Republican frontrunner and Nevada caucus winner. But the piece seems to backfire by reminding us that New Yorkers have a woefully inflated sense of civic importance that doesn't register past the George Washington Bridge.

The only thing missing was a paragraph about how The Donald wasn't able to secure decent Hamilton tickets. (Lucky man!)

More enjoyable is Eamon Lynch's suggestion in Newsweek that Trump has moved on from golf as only a frontrunner for the world's most powerful job can do.

While campaigning in South Carolina last week, Trump addressed a rally in Kiawah Island, the famed golf community. Speaking with his usual combination of incoherence and immodesty, he told the crowd that the developers of Kiawah had also built Doonbeg, the resort on Ireland’s west coast that Trump purchased two years ago.

“I bought it a number of years ago, and during the downturn in Ireland I made a good investment. It is an incredible place,” Trump said. “We spent a lot of money on making it just perfect, and now it’s doing great.” (Recently filed accounts showed a loss of $2.7 million in the first year of his ownership.)

It’s what Trump said next that matters.

“But I don’t care about that stuff anymore. It is like small potatoes, right? I’ll let my kids run it, have fun with it, let my executives have a good time, but I don’t care about it. I care about making America great again. That’s what I care about.”

Small potatoes. That’s us, he’s talking about. Golf.

While executives in the sport fretted about how best to break up with Trump, he’s pulled a George Costanza and broken up with them.

Lynch goes on to prepare us for next week's fun, where the PGA Tour visits Trump Doral under strained terms.

Trump: We're Still In The Rota!

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I'm not sure what's more impressive: Donald Trump declaring that he's still in The Open Championship rota, or Alex Miceli getting The Donald on the phone in the midst of a presidential campaign.

Either way, Trump sees Turnberry still very much in the rota despite reports of the R&A cooling to the idea.

“I haven't been told that at an all, no,” Trump said Friday by phone about Turnberry being taken off the British Open rota, which first was reported by London’s Independent. “We're working together with the R&A on the design. We have redesigned it, and it's almost completed. It will be opened in July and, no, I haven't heard that at all.”

At all?

The Donald: Tour Won’t Pull Doral Event From My Course

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On the eve of his expected triumph in the New Hampshire Republican Presidential primary--there's something I didn't expect to type--Donald Trump suggested to Golf.com's Peter Bukowski that he's fine with the PGA Tour leaving Trump Doral. Why? Because he'll make more money without the annual stop.

But he doesn't see them ending the longest continuously running tour site.

"They do not want to do that,” Trump said. “There’s no site like Doral in Florida. I have the greatest site in all of Florida."

A higher power may take the decision out of the PGA Tour's hands: the lack of sponsorship going forward that would result from Cadillac not renewing, which appears to be the case.

New USGA Prez: Trump Bedminster Here We Come!

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Ron Sirak notes from the USGA annual meeting the organization is Trumpeting its inclusive, "we" effort.

From his GolfDigest.com item:

“Now we are not about the game of golf, we are about golfers themselves,” said executive director Mike Davis.

“We are going to do things to make sure those who play the game enjoy it,” he said, specifically citing pace-of-play as an issue.

“We now have a clear strategic plan,” said Tom  O’Toole Jr., as he wrapped up his two-year term as president. “It was a real ‘we’ effort.’ Right now we have our shoulders behind the health or growth issue.”

Yet that "we" message falls flatter than a midday rules seminar when reading new USGA President Diana Murphy's short and stilted interview with Golfweek.com's Adam Schupak. On the topic of next year's U.S. Women's Open at Trump Bedminster, where the host has lost one PGA of America event over his comments about Mexican immigrants.

DM: I don't have anything to say about the political campaign in general. As for the course, we've had two championships there before. The staff, the members, the volunteers did an exceptional job at both championships. We are contractually obligated to have a Women's Open there, and we believe it will be a very successful Open there.

This is a far cry from the joint statement signed by the USGA earlier this year when they had this to say about Trump:

"In response to Mr. Trump's comments about the golf industry "knowing he is right" in regards to his recent statements about Mexican immigrants, we feel compelled to clarify that those remarks do not reflect the views of our organizations.  While the LPGA, PGA of America, PGA Tour and USGA do not usually comment on Presidential politics, Mr. Trump's comments are inconsistent with our strong commitment to an inclusive and welcoming environment in the game of golf."

Trump Bedminster is just minutes from USGA headquarters and several senior USGA staffers are members of the club, further complicating the situation.

R&A Chief On Match-Fixing, Shorts, Olympics, Trump

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In his most extensive interview to date (unbylined BBC story), new R&A Chief Martin Slumbers acknowledged that the group is monitoring the potential for betting irregularity issues coming to golf, is open to considering shorts for practice rounds, is excited about golf's Olympic moment, and is continuing the organization’s effort to punt on the issue of an Open at Trump Turnberry.

Interestingly, just last week new European Tour head (and fellow fast play advocate of Slumbers) Keith Pelley, said there was no concern betting scandals like those in tennis could find their way to golf. (He's sounding a bit like Tim Finchem a decade ago suggesting there was no need for drug testing in golf.)

Slumbers doesn’t agree even though no evidence has surfaced suggesting anything has taken place like tennis has seen. Still, with bookmakers offering daily wagering on head-to-head play in groups, the opportunity is there for match-fixing.

"I think the events of the last few months will bring it more to the top of those agendas, yes," he said.

"If there was evidence starting to build of inappropriate betting, the game is run by some very responsible and sensible people who have the game at heart and I'm sure will do the right thing. We are certainly keeping this under careful attention.

Trump: Ban Me And My Scottish Projects All End

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In response to a petition signed by 500,000 (online), Parliament must debate its call to ban Donald Trump from traveling to the UK after his statements on Muslims. A second petition signed by 40,000 supports The Donald.

Understandably, this prompted a statement from Trump threatening to de-invest in Scotland.

His statement via a Sky report:


"The Trump Organization has plans to invest more than £200m into the development of the iconic Trump Turnberry resort, located in South Ayrshire, Scotland.

"Our work there has been widely supported by the local community and created hundreds of jobs for the region. Over the coming years, we intend to further develop Trump Turnberry and invest millions more at the site, creating sustained economic growth for South Ayrshire and Scotland.

"Additionally, we have plans to invest £500m towards further development at the 1,400 acre Trump International Golf Links, Aberdeen, which has been consistently rated the best modern golf course in Great Britain and Ireland by the prestigious Golfweek magazine and many others in the global golf community.


Golfweek!

"Any action to restrict travel would force the Trump Organization to immediately end these and all future investments we are currently contemplating in the United Kingdom.

We discussed Mr. Trump Monday on Morning Drive in the context of 2016 and where his golf empire heads while juxtaposed with his campaign for president. I have no real solid answers, but it's certainly going to be an interesting time for Team Trump and golf's governing bodies.

Samuel L & Trump's Golf-Spat Reaches Inevitable End: Blocked!

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I've been following the A-lister spat from afar, yet it's always enjoyable when one of Donald Trump's golf feuds ends with the future president belittling his opponent while the other person promises to block The Donald on social media (after lots of name-calling).

America the beautiful!

I'm not sure who to believe, but thanks to all who sent this enjoyable Business Insider account (with embeds) of the spat that got the best of actor Jackson, who briefly posted his bill from Trump National Golf Club before realizing it included his home address (remember, he's an actor, not a cancer-curer).

Colin Campbell's Business Insider account of the social media brouhaha started by Jackson's comments to United Airlines' magazine.

The Donald Says "No More Golf" In A Sanders Administration

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Playing to his Hilton Head audience, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says Democrat Bernie Sanders will end golf as we know it should he be elected. Though Sanders has never mentioned an Eisenhower-like 90% tax rate, that didn't stop our Donald!

GolfNewsNet with the quotes and video.

“This guy wants to tax you — think of it — this guy wants to raise your taxes to 90 percent,” Trump said. “No, no, think. You’ll have to move out — I love this area by the way, I’ve been here many times. Great golfing area, right? We love it. No more golf — no more golf. You won’t have any golf any more. You won’t have any money left to be golfing.”

Presidential Golf: Obama's Walk-Off, Trump's Numbers Low?

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As President Barack Obama drains a walk off chip at Mid-Pac Country Club, the LA Times reports on a Morning Consult study saying that the folks who actually answer their phone for pollsters may actually be downplaying their support for Donald Trump when asked. We may have another golfing president just yet!

Wait, stop the presses! The Donald just pointed out to Iowa voters that the President played more than Tiger Woods in 2015, vowing he would not do the same. Golf.com Staff reports:

"It was reported today he played 250 rounds of golf and he's going to be in Hawaii, I think did they say for three weeks?" Trump said. "Two hundred and fifty rounds, that's more than a guy who plays in the PGA Tour plays. He played more golf last year than Tiger Woods. We don't have time for this. We have to work."

The Obama hole-out:

Corrigan On Trump: Golf Needs To Protect Its Participants

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I'm a little behind on reading so I apologize for just now sharing James Corrigan's six-day-old Telegraph assessment of golf's Donald Trump issue.

This was a strong point in a column that Peter Dawson won't be email blasting to his pals.

But then, Trump so scandalously turned Turnberry - beautiful Turnberry - into part of his election trail at the Women’s British Open in August and the penny dropped. Seeing Lizette Salas, the daughter of two Mexican immigrants, being mobbed by news crews immediately after her first round was one of the most pitiful scenes I’ve seen in sport.

Salas was there to compete, not to defend her heritage against Trump, but as soon as his helicopter whirred into view for all the publicity shots, it was inevitable she would be hounded.

Never mind its image, golf first of all needs to protect its participants. It is a sport which claims to be global, for goodness sake, and which is making huge inroads in Asia including in the UAE where Trump unashamedly cosies up to the Sheikhs with his ongoing Dubai development.

That is Trump’s integrity, right there.

Sandy Jones, head of the PGA in the UK, can be added to the list of recent golf organizatinos suggesting in some way that golf will be hurt by ties to Trump. From a BBC report.

"The controversy is not a positive thing for golf," he told BBC Scotland.

"Donald has built some great golf courses and has two in Scotland, in Aberdeen and at Turnberry.

"I'd prefer to see less controversy around the game and sadly Donald is producing it through his political motive, not through his golfing ones. They are bound to be linked, there is no getting away from that."