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Donald Trump’s Big PGA Tour Week

by Jeff Skinner

We will be seeing a lot of Donald Trump this week as he hosts the WGC Cadillac Championship at Trump Doral.  The Donald is pulling double duty by hosting not one, but two PGA Tour events this week as The Puerto Rico Open takes place on another Trump course.

Trump is planning to tear up most of Doral’s signature course, The Blue Monster as part of a two hundred million dollar renovation to the resort.  Gil Hanse will oversee the changes of the original Dick Wilson design.  And I am sure Trump will herald it as the greatest course in America.

Love him or hate him and many do both, Trump is a very big player in the game of golf.  And if you think he’s an outsider to the bluecoats of the USGA and the PGA Tour you’re wrong.

This week alone shows his commitment to the PGA Tour and he has been politicking for a U.S. Open on one of his courses for years.  He’s already landed a U.S. Women’s Open at his Trump International in Bedminster, New Jersey.

With his Bedminster course only a pitching wedge from the USGA’s headquarters and with some high ranking USGA staffers having membership at The Donald’s track, he has ample time to convince them to see things his way.

Trump is the master of overstatement and he has spent the better part of the last three year’s bellowing about his most controversial course, Trump International Golf Links in Scotland.  But from the looks of the course he may be close on this one.  Check out world renowned golf photographer Brian Morgan’s photos of Trump’s links.

As beautiful as the Scottish dunes are they still remain a source of great controversy among the locals.  David Milne, a neighbor of Trump’s course has been granted permission by the Scotland Public Petitions Committee to ask for public support of an investigation into the background of Trump’s development.

Milne suggests that the Aberdeenshire Council, Grampian Police and the Scottish government may have breached planning regulations in order to allow Trump permission to proceed with the development.  Would The Donald have greased a few Scottish palms? Now that would never happen in the real estate game.  Check out the video here.

Sarah Malone, a Trump International vice president, dismisses the claims.  “The project has already gone through years of scrutiny and debate during a lengthy planning process, including a public inquiry in the full media spotlight.

“Mr. Milne needs to move on. He attempted this before and it failed, because there is no basis for it.  The championship course is now established and drawing thousands of golfers from around the world and creating business opportunities and much-needed jobs.”

Trump will tell you that it’s just a bunch of sour grapes and maybe it is but once again Trump is in the news and for an attention hound like The Donald maybe that’s all that matters.

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