PGA Tour stars have telling reaction as Trump | Golf News

PGA Tour gamers Rickie Fowler and Maverick McNealy shared their ideas on a newly unveiled statue of Donald Trump positioned at the course forward of the Cadillac Championship. The world’s top golfers descended on Miami, competing for a first-place prize of $3.6 million at Trump National Doral’s Blue Monster course.

Among those in competition, Alex Fitzpatrick seeks his first particular person PGA Tour victory, having beforehand secured a two-year tour standing following his and Matt Fitzpatrick’s triumph at the Zurich Classic. A towering 15-foot gold-plated statue of Trump was installed on the course forward of the event, which options 37 of the top 50 gamers in the Official World Golf Ranking, including seven from the top 10, all teeing off Thursday.

One-time PGA Tour winner McNealy provided his own evaluation: “It’s very tall and very gold.” The statue, crafted by artist Alan Cottrill and commissioned by a cryptocurrency group, portrays Trump with a raised fist, capturing the defiant gesture he made following an assassination attempt in July 2024.

The Blue Monster is one of only 9 current venues featured on the 2026 schedule, boasting over 50 years of historical past alongside prestigious programs including Waialae Country Club, Torrey Pines Golf Course, Pebble Beach Golf Links, and The Riviera Country Club.

The Cadillac Championship represents the fifth of eight signature occasions this season, coinciding with the nation’s 250th anniversary and marking the Tour’s first return to Miami and Doral in a decade for the inaugural Cadillac Championship.

According to Jhonattan Vegas, Trump National Doral would have undergone vital modifications regardless of the president’s everlasting presence on the course.

“I mean this course, probably the last time we were here, it has changed a ton,” Vegas famous.

“Changed a ton. I think it’s a course that obviously is weather dependent. But I got a feeling it’s going to play a lot harder than it’s played in the past. Obviously they did a bunch of changes to the course and if the weather, the wind picks up and the weather gets right, it’s going to be an incredible test.

“I used to be speaking to one of the blokes earlier and this might be the first week on tour this yr that we have performed in Bermuda grass. So it is going to take a lot of adjusting around the greens, on the greens. It takes a little bit of further work, particularly being that first week of taking part in in Bermuda.

“Obviously this course here is very grainy, so you’re going to see golf being played a little bit different this week.”