As Donald Trump heads to the Republican national convention to accept the nomination, David Feherty sits down on June 22 with the nominee (again).
• Why he doesn’t consider himself a politician • U.S. Presidents playing golf • Whether or not he will use a teleprompter at the Republican National Convention • Reaction to the PGA TOUR’s decision to move its World Golf Championship (WGC) event from Trump’s Doral property in Miami to Mexico • Distrust for the media: Trump – “The media to me is one of the most dishonest groups of people I’ve ever dealt with.” • Golf’s return to the Olympic Games: Trump – “I think it’s a great thing for golf, having it in the Olympics” • An admiration for professional golfers, including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and today’s current wave of young stars • His recent trip to Scotland for the reopening of Turnberry • What’s next if he doesn’t win the presidential nomination • Highlights from Feherty’s initial interview with Trump in May 2012
Jeremy Petersreports for theNew York Times on the Trump campaign's Republican National Convention speaker list and LPGA star Natalie Gulbis has been slected for a prime night three slot(!?) when Newt Gingrich, Ted Cruz, Eric Trump and the vice presidential nominee are speaking.
Listening to well-paid players justify their move from what was a stalwart, 54-year PGA Tour event stop Miami to the charming confines of Mexico City over money, several did not wanting to get fined suggested it was a grow the game moment. Even Jack Nicklaus, whose Memorial Wednesday was overshadowed by the news, wheeled out the grow the game maxim, adding yet another chapter in this catchphrase.
The inclusion of golf in the Olympics ushered in the justifying of any and all behavior as part of growing the game. In the case of the Olympics, there is truth to the partnership if the exposure or funding promises come true, or if there is subliminal legitimization of the game in places it was previously mocked.
Most times, grow the game is a protective shield to justify the mere act of making money. Or, for choosing unconventional paths to brand glory. "Grow the game” was wheeled out to celebrate the antics of the #SB2k16 gang, and no doubt thousands who knew nothing of golf and saw a semi-naked Smylie Kaufman dancing atop a golf cart and Jordan Spieth impersonating David Feherty have since invested money earmarked for paying off college loans to the purchase of a club membership. However, it was an even greater joy to read Natalie Gulbis employing the phrase when telling us about theDonald Trump she knows for Golf.com’s podcast and in a written piece.
The two grow the game references, for your reading pleasure...
He encouraged me to look at myself as a brand and as a professional golfer with a huge platform to grow the game of golf, regardless of my gender.
And...
I had seen "The Apprentice." Who hadn't? It was cutthroat and competitive, and it featured a lot of arguing, so I wasn't sure I was a fit. But Donald said that as a participant I would achieve three things: grow the game of golf, draw positive attention to the LPGA, and raise money to start my own Boys and Girls Club, which he knew was one of my life goals.
Yes, consider the legions who might have taken up the game had Natalie appeared on Celebrity Apprentice! We can only dream. #growthegame
If you listened to ShackHouseepisode 7, you know I shared the view of several PGA Tour insiders that the longtime Doral stop was soon coming to an end and likely headed to Mexico as a World Golf Championship tournament.
Business Insiderpicked up the comments, but I've held out on doing a story in hopes of pinning down what city and course is in the running to replace a storied PGA Tour stop.
(Background: The PGA Tour had a long term deal to play events at Doral but they had an out should they not be able to secure a sponsor. With Cadillac done as sponsor of the WGC at Doral, the tour has not been able to find a sponsor and has been planning its exit.)
Now it seems the host at Doral, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, revealed today on Hannity that the tour is taking its annual Miami stop to Mexico City and he hopes they have kidnapping insurance!
Here is the video, followed by a Tweeted transcript with the kidnapping comment.
Let's pause for a moment to giggle at the PGA Tour taking an event to Mexico, away from the person who is campaigning on jobs and business being lost to...Mexico or Mexican immigrants.
Now, the serious (golf) issues at hand here:
--The PGA Tour has been going to Miami since at least 1961 and Doral was an important event before being turned into a WGC by Commissioner Tim Finchem. WGC's are costlier to sponsor and therefore prone to be moved, altered and stripped of identity.
--Trump has invested heavily into the resort and course with great results. While he may have intervened in course setup and may have been too high of a profile for the tour or sponsors, the event is seemingly is a great sponsorship opportunity due to its place on the schedule, the status of Trump Doral and the Miami market. Apparently the tour no longer can convince a sponsor of that.
--At a time the PGA Tour is considering opting out of its current TV deal with the networks, it is considering saddling a network with a WGC in a country other than the United States and one that only gives candidate Trump more fodder for one of his key campaign themes. I'm not sure how that creates leverage for the tour, only headaches.
--Instead of just letting the Doral event die and opening up a spot on the schedule, a replacement event is the goal because executive bonuses are tied to playing opportunities. Even when the playing opportunity might be in Mexico City!
--Finchem is possibly positioning the PGA Tour to become a focal point of the presidential campaign as he's preparing to opt-out of a television contract. A wiser commish less-focused on his golden parachute would have had the tour self-sponsor the event for a year to ride out the campaign.
There have been a few "I won't vote for Donald Trump because I've played golf with him" stories, but also one Lou Holtzendorsement because he loved the service at a Trump golf property. Politics is dirty business!
Still, Oscar De La Hoya sharing his golf story from a day with the presumptive nominee at Trump National Los Angeles--as written up byLance Pugmire of the LA Times--is fun to visualize. I'm just teasing you with the punch line...hit the link for the full story.
“We get up there [to the green] and he’s like, ‘Oh, my ball’s right here!’ Three feet away. ‘And by the way, I’m going to pick it up, it’s a gimme,’” De La Hoya said.
“You don’t do that in golf,” De La Hoya said, adding there were no side games in play where money was exchanged.
“No money at all, how can I win?” De La Hoya said. “I’m not [voting] for someone who cheats in golf.”
Of course, another former President was known to fudge the mulligan rules. Oh, and his wife will be running for President against Trump. What a world.
Geoff Shackelford
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning Drive, is co-host of The Ringer's ShackHouse is the author of eleven books.
