This week's WGC-Cadillac Championship "could be the last playing of the tournament" at Trump National Doral outside Miami, but it is "not solely because of owner Donald Trump and the political ramifications of his comments on the campaign trail regarding Mexicans and Muslims," according to Bob Harig of ESPN.com. Cadillac is in its "last year of title sponsorship, which is unlikely to renew, and it's not easy to find sponsors that are required to pony up" well north of $10M for one event. That does "not even address another big issue that plagues the event: It might attract the top players in the world, but it is not the same experience -- at least anecdotally -- as it was prior to becoming a World Golf Championship event." The old tourney "had a flare that is missing today with its smaller field, no cut and late tee times on Thursday and Friday." Trump's politically charged comments "only added to a tenuous situation." PGA Tour CMO Ty Votaw said that the Tour is "sticking with its statement from January that pledged its commitment to the tournament and Miami area for now." Harig noted the PGA Tour in '13 "announced a 10-year contract extension with Trump National Doral," but that deal is "contingent upon title sponsorship, and with Cadillac's run all but over, the tournament's future is in question" (ESPN.com, 3/2). The AP's Doug Ferguson wrote no one "saw this coming" in '12 when Trump bought the resort. He spent $250M on upgrades and had architect Gil Hanse "redo the Blue Monster to make it more dramatic by bringing water into play more than it already was." It is Trump's "bombastic dialogue that has become a staple of his campaign, which makes the future in Miami look bleak." The task now is to "find a new sponsor that doesn't mind the sideshow that Trump brings to a tournament." If a new sponsor "doesn't want to be at Trump Doral, there are not many other options in Miami with the property that can handle size" of a WGC event (AP, 3/1).
THE TASK AT HAND: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's John Paul Newport notes Trump since taking over Doral has been a "grandstanding presence" at the event. Typically he "touches down in a Trump-emblazoned helicopter on a pad near the ninth hole." But Trump yesterday said that he would "attend the event only on Sunday and that he wasn’t sure about arriving in a helicopter." Security is "one concern," and another is that Trump "doesn’t want his larger-than-ever presence to disrupt the world’s top golf pros." It also is the "case that Trump’s relationship with the sport of golf has become more complicated because of controversial comments he has made on the campaign trail, particularly about immigrants." A PGA Tour spokesperson yesterday said that the Tour "would not discuss the future of the Doral tournament until after this week’s event." The USGA yesterday in a statement also said that despite Trump’s views on immigrants, it "hasn't changed its plans" to stage the '17 U.S. Women’s Open at Trump’s Bedminster New Jersey course (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/3).
MISSED OPPORTUNITY? The Tour in a statement said it would "explore all options regarding the event's future" after this week. But GOLF.com's Cameron Morfit wrote it is "too late." The Tour "missed a golden opportunity to 'control the message,' to 'clean up the optics,' to tell Trump that his brand of bullying has no place in the game." Morfit: "It would have been inconvenient. It would have been messy. Breaking up is hard to do. ... It's time the PGA Tour made a statement of its own. A real one" (GOLF.com, 3/1).
