Donald Trump Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

Donald Trump predicted the PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger almost exactly a year ago

Clarkwin — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 05:38:00 +0000

Rob Carr

By now you’ve already heard the news. It’s been beamed straight into your eyeholes, earholes and, um, other holes. The PGA Tour and LIV Golf — opposing sides of a particularly bitter professional golf feud over the past year and a half — have laid down their arms and joined hand-in-hand in sweet golf harmony. The news came as a surprise to everyone, including players on both sides who were just as blindsided as the golf media who were just blindsided as golf fans who were just as blindsided as your mom’s second cousin Dave, who probably just texted you about it. In fact, the only person who didn’t seem to get a proverbial shaving cream pie to the face on Tuesday morning was former president Donald Trump, who predicted this exact outcome almost a year ago.

?LOOKING BACK — Donald Trump predicted the LIV – PGA TOUR merger in 2022. ?? pic.twitter.com/RQnATH6W8j

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) June 6, 2023

Many either dismissed (or entirely missed) Trump’s prediction because it happened on Truth Social after he was booted from Twitter for spreading factually dubious claims about election fraud, amongst other things. So if you shrugged off the prediction as Trump once again crying wolf, pandering to his base or protecting his business interests (Trump Bedminster will host its second LIV Golf tournament this August), we wouldn’t blame you. As it turns out, however, he had it sized up from the start:

Your employer will not show loyalty to you when the chips are down, he warned PGA Tour players. Take the money and run.

You may love the 45th president, you may loathe him, but as both a corporate tycoon and master of grift, Trump was uniquely qualified to see this situation for what it was — a business decision. Golf media and PGA Tour defenders like Rory McIlroy made the mistake of thinking this was about ethics and morals; that, for the first time in the history of the universe, the nice guys might not finish last. They were wrong, Trump was right, as much as it might pain you to admit it.

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Contrary to Trump’s claims, R&A says its stance on avoiding Turnberry for Open hasn’t changed

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 12:03:36 +0000

By Evin Priest
The R&A has rejected claims made by former President Donald Trump that the governing body is looking to take the Open Championship back to the Trump-owned Turnberry course in Scotland.

After the Thursday pro-am at LIV Golf’s team finale outside Miami, Trump told reporters “the Open wants to come back” to the 116-year-old Scottish course he has owned since 2014. Turnberry has been among 10 courses on the Open rota used by the R&A, which organises the championship.

But after Trump took over the ownership, the R&A showed less interested in holding an Open there — the last time being 2009 — and after the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, the R&A’s chief executive, Martin Slumbers, said his organisation “had no plans to stage any of our championships at Turnberry and will not do so in the foreseeable future. We will not return until we are convinced that the focus will be on the championship, the players and the course itself and we do not believe that is achievable in the current circumstances”.

Despite this, Trump said on Thursday, “I can tell you they want to come back. I think [the ongoing feud between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour] will have to be sorted out first. We did a big surgery [redesign] on Turnberry and it has gotten great reviews, even from people who hate me. They [the R&A] want the Open to go back.”

On Friday, when contacted by reporters, a spokesperson from the R&A said: “There is no change to our position on this.”

Turnberry, located in Ayrshire, Scotland, has hosted four Opens: 1977, won by Tom Watson; 1986, won by current LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman; 1994 (Nick Price); and 2009 (Stewart Cink). The 2009 edition was special because Cink famously defeated a then-59-year-old Watson in a playoff.

Trump bought the resort in 2014 and has spent hundreds of millions of dollars renovating the hotel and redesigning the course. The renovation was done by Martin Ebert in 2016.

Trump properties have played host to two LIV events among its eight-event inaugural series — at Bedminster in New Jersey in July and this week’s team finale at Trump National Doral. Doral’s Blue Monster course hosted a PGA Tour event from 1962 to 2016 and it was won by the likes of Norman, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. The tour left Trump’s Doral property in 2017 for a new venue and sponsor in Mexico.

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Donald Trump says PGA Tour made ‘a big mistake’ not finding way to work with LIV Golf

Golf Digest Middle East — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 10:16:07 +0000

By Evin Priest
Former President Donald Trump has said the PGA Tour is “making a big mistake” in not finding a way to better co-exist with LIV Golf.

Trump played in the pro-am of LIV Golf’s $50 million Team Championship alongside Brooks Koepka and Sergio Garcia. It’s the eighth and final event of the inaugural season of the LIV Golf Invitational series, which starts on Friday at Trump National Doral.

Trump spoke with reporters beside the 18th green at the Blue Monster course, which from 1962 to 2016 hosted a PGA Tour event won by the likes LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. The tour left Trump’s Doral property in 2017 for a new venue and sponsor in Mexico. This is the second LIV event hosted by a Trump-owned course; the first came at Trump National Bedminster in July.

On Thursday, Trump criticised the PGA Tour for banning its players who had gone to LIV Golf, insisting the established tour should have worked with LIV.

“The tour mishandled it so badly,” Trump said. “The people at the top … something should happen with them. They mishandled it so badly. They not only had an advantage, they are dealing with very good people with unlimited money. And something could have been worked out very easily.”

Among the biggest names to have joined LIV are World No. 3 Cameron Smith, whose three PGA Tour wins this year included its flagship event, the Players Championship, and the Open Championship at St Andrews. LIV also signed Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Joaquin Niemann and Patrick Reed, among others.

In response to the growing threat of LIV, the PGA Tour announced in August that its biggest stars will commit to a 20-event schedule next year including 12 elevated events boasting purses of at least $20 million.

Despite the added bonuses and revenue opportunities available next year on the PGA Tour, Trump declared that more tour stars would join to LIV in the near future.

“A lot of other people are coming over,” Trump said. “Big names. You know that. The star system is always very important in sports. Whether it’s sports or anything else. And they’ve got the stars.”

Whether progress can be made in the future, however, only time will tell.

Trump said: “I think that ultimately maybe something gets worked out, but the tour mishandled that so badly.”

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Aramco Team Series — New York to be held at Donald Trump’s Ferry Point

Matt Smith — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 06:02:35 +0000

By Matt Smith
The ladies will be teeing it up at Ferry Point for the Aramco Team Series — New York, the golf club owned by a certain Donald Trump.

Following on from the LIV Golf event at his Bedminster camp in New Jersey, Trump will now host the ladies in neighbouring New York from October 13-15.

Golf Digest Middle East revealed that Ferry Point would be the next port of call following the Korda sisters show at La Reserva, Sotogrande in Spain.

The Aramco Team Series is a five-tournament schedule backed by the Ladies European Tour and often features stars of the LPGA; two weeks ago Nelly Korda beat her sister Jessica to win the third leg of the series in Spain.

Ferry Point is the third course in Trump’s golf portfolio to host a tournament backed by Golf Saudi this year. In July, the LIV Golf Invitational came to Trump Bedminster in New Jersey for its third event in the inaugural eight-tournament season, while the season-ending tournament will visit Trump Doral outside of Miami.

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WATCH: Day 2 highlights from LIV Golf Bedminster

Matt Smith — Sun, 31 Jul 2022 08:09:53 +0000

By Matt Smith
Catch up with the latest from Bedminster as Henrik Stenson leads the way at the LIV Golf Series event.

[parone_video_player campaign=”358″ defaultlang=”en” feed=”51-all-videos”/]

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LIV Golf: Henrik Stenson stretches lead at the top in Bedminster

Matt Smith — Sun, 31 Jul 2022 07:54:04 +0000

By Matt Smith
Sweden’s Henrik Stenson is certainly enjoying live at LIV Golf, following the furore that saw him stripped of the Ryder Cup captaincy days before his LIV Golf debut at Bedminster.

Amid a sea of red shirts and ‘MAGA’ hats at the Donald Trump course in New Jersey, Stenson did his best to steal the limelight from the former US President and host for the week.

“That is the best I have played all year,” the 46-year-old said and he followed up his opening 64 with a Saturday 69 and take a three-stroke lead into Sunday’s final round, ahead of Dustin Johnson. The American is one ahead of 4 Aces teammates Patrick Reed and Talor Gooch, who are on five-under along with Fireballs Carlos Ortiz.

But it was the majestic Majesticks man who was the talk of the town.

“It’s certainly been a busy and emotional week, no question,” Stenson said. “I’m pleased with the way I’ve kept my head down and focused on business.”

On the team side of things, DJ and co lead the way on 20-under, with Stenson, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Sam Horsfield six back on 14-under for the Majesticks.

The Spanish Fireballs, led by Sergio Garciam are a distant third on seven-under.

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Trump National Doral Miami set to host LIV Golf Invitational Team Championship

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 05:52:23 +0000

The Blue Monster is set to stage the season-ending $50 million October event

By GolfDigestMiddleEast.com
The LIV Golf Invitational Series took another huge step on Tuesday as it confirmed Trump National Doral Miami as the host for the season-ending Team Championship set for October 27-30.

The Blue Monster will stage the seeded four-day, four-round, match play knock-out event featuring 12 teams competing for $50 million. The Team Championship is the eighth and final event on the 2022 LIV Golf Invitational Series schedule.

“There could not be a more perfect location to host our biggest event of the year at a course with such a long history with professional golfers, and we are excited to add another piece of history to this famed destination,” said Greg Norman, CEO & Commissioner of LIV Golf. “I am very much looking forward to October to watch these teams go head-to-head to compete for the largest prize purse in tournament history. As we continue to select locations for our events in world-class cities, we knew Miami had to be included in the rota, and the Blue Monster is a fan favourite and a perfect place to end our inaugural season.”

Remastered by Gil Hanse in 2014, the famed Blue Monster is one of the legendary courses in America having hosted professional elite events for 55 years. Stretching over 7,600 yards, the course features a series of strategically placed deep bunkers, long flowing fairways, interesting undulating greens, deep Bermuda rough and a challenging assortment of water hazards — all of which combine for a course that requires both length and finesse to score well. The famous 18th hole is traditionally ranked as one of the most difficult by touring professionals.

“Trump National Doral is one of the finest golf resorts anywhere in the world and we are honoured to host the LIV Golf Invitational Team Championship in October. The iconic Blue Monster is a beloved championship venue that has hosted many of the greatest players in all of golf and we are looking forward to making this event a phenomenal success,” said Eric Trump, Executive Vice President of the Trump Organisation.

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Donald Trump makes his latest case for an Open return to Turnberry

Golf Digest Middle East — Sun, 18 Jul 2021 00:34:15 +0000

David Cannon/Courtesy of Turnberry

By Stephen Hennessey
The Open has not returned to Turnberry since Stewart Cink beat Tom Watson in a playoff there in 2009. A return isn’t expected anytime soon, either. The R&A has named Open venues through 2024, and Turnberry—purchased by Donald Trump in 2014—is not on that list.

The R&A has reiterated its plans not to return to Turnberry—saying in a statement six days after the U.S. Capitol was stormed that it wouldn’t return for “the foreseeable future” until the ruling body “is convinced that the focus will be on the championship, the players and the course itself and we do not believe that is achievable in the current circumstances.”

Trump doubled down on his stance that Turnberry—ranked 11th on Golf Digest’s most recent world rankings—should be awarded another Open Championship, releasing a statement on Saturday during the third round at Royal St. George’s.

Here’s the statement (in the below tweet):

This is an official statement from the former President’s taxpayer-funded office, which he is using to complain about the location and promoting his private golf club. pic.twitter.com/kkxuZGKAui

— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) July 17, 2021

The PGA of America moved next year’s PGA Championship from Trump Bedminster in New Jersey to Southern Hills after January’s events in Washington, D.C.

Trump Turnberry hosted the Women’s British Open in 2015 when the Ladies Golf Union hosted the championship. The LGU has since merged with the R&A, so the women’s major is not expected to go back to Turnberry any time soon.

Turnberry is ranked as the fourth-best course in Scotland on Golf Digest’s rankings after a significant renovation in 2015 by noted architecture firm Mackenzie & Ebert.

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Report: President wanted U.S. ambassador to help secure Open Championship for Trump Turnberry

Golf Digest Middle East — Wed, 22 Jul 2020 03:13:02 +0000

David Cannon
A view of the green on the par-3 ninth hole on the Ailsa Course at the Trump Turnberry Resort on July 15, 2019.

By Tod Leonard
The Royal & Ancient Golf Club is the purveyor of the Open Championship and has chosen the major golf tournament’s venues for more than 150 years.

Nevertheless, President Donald Trump asked the American ambassador to Britain, Robert Wood Johnson IV, to inquire with the British government about returning the Open Championship to his resort in Scotland, Trump Turnberry, according to a report in the New York Times.

Citing three people with knowledge of the circumstances, the Times reported that Johnson, who owns the NFL’s New York Jets, told multiple colleagues in February 2018 about Trump’s request. The sources said that Johnson’s deputy, Lewis A. Lukens, urged the ambassador not to follow through because the action could be an unethical use of the president’s position for private gain. But, the Times’ sources said, Johnson did eventually bring up the idea of Turnberry hosting the Open Championship with Scotland’s secretary of state, David Mundell.

The Times reported that when it contacted Mundell last week about the matter, he said it would be “inappropriate” to comment, and he cited a British government statement that said Johnson “made no request of Mr. Mundell regarding the British Open or any other sporting event,” though the statement did not confirm or deny that the subject was broached.

The Times said the White House declined to comment on Trump’s instructions to Johnson, as did the ambassador and the State Department.

Jeff J Mitchell
Then a nominee for U.S. president in June 2016, Donald Trump officially reopens the Trump Turnberry resort.

Originally opened in 1901, Turnberry is a young host course by Open Championship standards, joining the tournament’s pool of 10 sites in 1977. The Open has been held there on four occasions, the last in 2009, when then-59-year-old Tom Watson stirred emotions and nearly claimed a sixth claret jug before falling to Stewart Cink in a playoff.

Since then, the R&A has not yet announced another Open Championship for Turnberry. Trump purchased the property in 2014, two years before being elected U.S. president, and there has been speculation that the facility’s chances to host future Opens have been damaged because of Trump’s involvement there.

At the time of Trump’s election in 2016, the R&A had chosen its sites through 2019. Since then, four more venues were identified—Royal St. George’s in England for 2020, the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland for 2021, Royal Liverpool in England for 2023 and Royal Troon in Scotland for 2024. However, when the coronavirus forced the cancellation of this year’s Open, the R&A announced that St. George’s would host in 2021 and St. Andrews in 2022, but did not specify what would happen with Liverpool or Troon.

In a meeting with British reporters in early 2018, the R&A’s chief executive, Martin Slumbers, insisted that Turnberry remained in consideration for future Opens held in Scotland, though he noted, “It would be complex having an Open at Turnberry at the moment. You’ve got the ownership issue of the course and the staging there.”

In possibly seeking to have an ambassador lobby the British government to stage a golf tournament at his property, the president is exempt from federal conflict of interest laws regarding government matters and personal financial interest, the Times reported. However, experts on government ethics told the Times that one potential violation of the emoluments clause was that the British or Scottish governments would most likely have to pay for security at the tournament, an event that would be profitable to Trump.

The Trump family owns 16 golf courses, seven of which are outside America. The holdings include Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., which in 2014 was chosen by the PGA of America to host the 2022 PGA Championship,

After Trump purchased Turnberry, he made $150 million in investments and improvements there, including a complete renovation of the Alisa Course, which reopened to mostly positive reviews in 2016. But the resort has continued to bleed cash, with the most recent annual report in 2018 showing a loss of nearly $1 million on $19 million in sales.

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Rory McIlroy calls out President Trump’s handling of COVID-19 pandemic, says he wouldn’t play golf with him again

Golf Digest Middle East — Sun, 17 May 2020 02:19:33 +0000

Mike Ehrmann
Then presidential candidate Donald Trump talks to Rory McIlroy ahead of the final round of the 2016 WGC-Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral.

By Brian Wacker
Three years ago, Rory McIlroy came under fire on social media for playing golf with President Donald Trump but defended the decision by saying he accepted the invitation out of respect for the office. He said at the time the round “wasn’t an endorsement nor a political statement of any kind.”

Speaking on the McKellar Journal podcast on Thursday, McIlroy made a different kind of statement, however, when asked about the round with the president.

“I’ll sit here and say the day that I did spend with him and others was very enjoyable,” the four-time major winner and world’s top-ranked golfer said. “He’s very charismatic, he was nice to everyone—it didn’t matter whether you were me or guys in the cart barn or the pro at the golf club. He has something. He obviously has something or he wouldn’t be in the White House, right? He has something—whatever it is, an X-factor, charisma, whatever. Most people that he came across that day he was cordial to, he was nice and personable. That was my only interaction with him the day I had with him.

“So I will sit here and say that the day I had with him I enjoyed, but that doesn’t mean I agree with everything or, in fact, anything that he says.”

The 31-year-old McIlroy didn’t stop there, voicing his displeasure with how Trump has handled the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re in the midst of something that’s pretty serious right now, and the fact that he’s trying to politicise it and make it a campaign rally and say we’re administering the most tests in world like it is a contest—there’s something that just is terrible,” said McIlroy, who will play with Dustin Johnson against Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff in the TaylorMade Driving Relief skins match on Sunday to raise money for COVID-19 causes. “It’s not the way a leader should act. There’s a sort of diplomacy that you need to have, and I don’t think he’s showing that—especially in these times.”

McIlroy acknowledged after that round in 2017 at Trump International in West Palm Beach, Fla., the heated reaction it elicited that he was guilty by association and “lesson learned.” He also said that he hasn’t played with Trump since, though he’s been asked. When McIlroy, who lives near the president’s residence in Palm Beach, was questioned on the podcast whether his decision to decline was by choice, he said, “Out of choice.”

Asked if he would ever play with Trump again, McIlroy said, “I don’t know if he’d want to play with me again after what I just said. I know it’s very self-serving of me to say no, and if I don’t, then it means then I’m not putting myself in position to be under scrutiny and that I’m avoiding that.

“But no, I wouldn’t.”

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