Trump: If the PGA Tour leaves Doral, I’ll make more money there
Donald Trump isn’t concerned about the PGA Tour leaving his Trump National Doral. In fact, he says it’s costing him money.
His Miami-area resort hosts the WGC-Cadillac Championship, and Trump has a contract with the PGA Tour to remain as host through 2023. However, tournament title sponsor Cadillac is expected not to renew their deal when it concludes after this week. That means a new sponsor will come in to take over the tournament namesake. And under PGA Tour sponsor deals, the new sponsor gets the chance to veto the existing host venue. That means a new title sponsor could decide Trump is too controversial for their corporate blood and take the event somewhere else, ending more than a half-century of the PGA Tour coming to Doral.
In an interview with Golfweek, Trump said the PGA Tour leaving would allow him to make more money from bookings at the resort and the host Blue Monster course, which costs $495 per round to play.
“Look, it’s very expensive for me to have the tournament there, because I have 100 percent occupancy,” he said. “It costs me a lot of money. So if they want to move it, that’s up to them. I think they would be foolish to want to move it, because it’s the best course in Florida. It’s the best tournament course in Florida, by far, and it’s a big course; it’s got tremendous history.”
It may be for the best for everyone involved. Not only can Trump reclaim his tee sheet and hotel rooms, but the PGA Tour can move the strong-field event to a place where crowds are more likely to show. Since the Doral event was converted from a standard PGA Tour stop to a World Golf Championships event, attendance has dwindled as ticket prices increased and community involvement decreased.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
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