The Trump Blue Monster Renovation Plan Revealed...**

/

Torleif Sorenson posts Gil Hanse and Donald Trump's vision for the TPC Blue Monster at Trump Doral, though I'm hard pressed to see many major changes other than the par-3 15th which has lots of water around it.

The Donald told the media Tuesday that it's going to be an island green.

But Bradley Klein explains that's been a source of disagreement between the design partners.

But when it came to a proposed island green, Hanse balked. When Trump urged extension of a pond to encircle the otherwise placid, landlocked green on the par-3 15th, Hanse resisted, explaining that it would be out of character with Wilson’s emphasis on diagonal lines of play. So the plan now is to project the relocated green out into a corner of the expanded pond and form a sharp diagonal, with the putting surface flanked by water front left and deep to the rear.

Texas Rep Introduces Amendment To Suspend Obama Golf Trips

/

Nicholas Ballasy reports that Republican Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert has introduced an amendment to a Continuing Resolution that would not provide the White House with any taxpayer funds to transport President Barack Obama to and from any golf course as long as White House public tours were not being offered due to budget cuts.

“None of the funds made available by a division of this act may be used to transport the president to or from a golf course until public tours of the White House resume,” the amendment reads.

The video:

Whew: Rory And Caroline Speaking Again On Twitter

/

Check that theory question off the list.

With Caroline sensing Rory's dismay at red card issued in the Champions League showdown between Manchester United and Real Madrid, this means writers who did not get the Sunday exclusive on his reasons for quitting at last week's Honda can focus their Wednesday press conference skepticism on the gaping holes in his WD story and game.

The spellbinding Twitter exchange that washes away all of our worries.

Long Putter Use Way Down Through West Coast Swing

/

Jason Sobel has obtained Darrell Survey results showing long putter use is way down in 2013 (they do not track whether players anchor). So far the 94 who have used the long wand made 61.7 percent of cuts and scored nine top-10s, slightly above the average.

Broken down, the data shows a decrease at each event: Hyundai Tournament of Champions (from seven to five); Sony Open (24 to 21); Humana Challenge (30 to 18); Farmers Insurance Open (31 to 13); Waste Management Phoenix Open (25 to 11); AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (25 to 10); and Northern Trust Open (33 to 16).

With most of the success coming for long putter users coming in Hawaii, Sobel says:

Yes, the game’s governing bodies still must determine whether an anchored putt should be defined as a legal stroke, but any notion that this is greatly affecting the game at its uppermost level has so far been summarily dismissed by the statistics.

Reading that, I realize the "no competitive advantage" talking point really is problematic either way it is used as an argument.

Those claiming it--while ignoring the major championship wins and improved putting by several players in majors where pressure is greatest--must have a hard time keeping a straight face.

But to also claim there is simply no advantage--that it can be "summarily dismissed"--helps the governing bodies say, okay, we do not see this as a traditional stroke, you say there is no advantage, everyone with back issues can keep using a long putter, so what's the problem again?

Tracking Johnny's Flip Flop(s) On Anchoring

/

Masterful breakdown from Jaime Diaz in Golf World Monday on Johnny Miller's almost-daily position switches on the anchoring ban, with some of the switches depending on who is visiting the booth.

Look, many have waivered because it's a complex issue. But multiple positions in a week?

Can't wait for the U.S. Open when Johnny pats Mike Davis on the back for a job well done! Too bad NBC doesn't have the PGA so that Ted Bishop could get the same pat.

Esquire: "Why do we hate Donald Trump so much?"

/

What better way to kick off WGC week at Trump Doral than with some thoughts on All Star Celebrity Apprentice host and golf development icon Donald Trump.

Stephen Marche of Esquire.com explains why we as a culture so love hate the man.

Really, it all comes down to his hair. The hair asks the fundamental question of the man: Who does he think he's fooling? He can't possibly think he's getting away with this, can he?

And here I think is the true source of why Donald is so intensely hateable, why he is the only person on Twitter everyone is allowed to swear at. It's not the narcissism, the shallowness, the stupidity, or the obliviousness. It's that he's getting away with it, that his style works. All the intelligence and humor of Spy magazine couldn't budge him, and if Spy couldn't, who can? He is proof of the fact that the world, as it is currently constructed, is a wonderful place for obliviously shallow narcissists. Donald didn't make that world. He just inhabits it. But he is its perfect icon, and that is definitely a good enough reason for hate.

Rory Speaks: Realizes He Should Have Finished His Round

/

Michael Bamberger scored an exclusive Sunday night conversation with the lad who admitted that his quitting on the ninth hole of the Honda Classic was a "reactive decision" and that he knew soon after he left the course.

The wisdom tooth issue appears to have been exaggerated. I know you're shocked to learn this.

On Monday his Belfast dentist, Mark Conroy, faxed a letter to the PGA Tour offices describing McIlroy’s condition with both of his lower wisdom teeth. McIlroy said he wore braces for a period last year in an effort to create separation for the two teeth, one of which he said was “growing sideways.” He also said he has been prescribed a painkiller, which he did not use on Friday but will use as needed until he next sees Conroy, most likely after the U.S. Open in June. At that time, his lower right wisdom tooth is expected to be pulled.

Now it's after the U.S. Open?

On Friday, within a half hour of shaking hands with Els and Wilson, McIlroy knew that by quitting he had done the wrong thing. He drove to his home, in a gated development in Jupiter, with his instructor, Michael Bannon, and his caddie, J.P. Fitzgerald. Soon after, he was joined by his parents, Rosie and Gerry, and by liaison Sean O’Flaherty, who works for Horizon Sports Management, the Dublin agency that represents McIlroy. Rory spoke by phone to his agent, Conor Ridge. “By the time I got home I was saying, ‘We need to reassess here,’ ” McIlroy said.

"Reassess" was apparently in reference to his swing, which he worked on with Michael Bannon over the weekend, and not in reference to spinning the PR aftermath.

Key Evidence In Rory-Caroline Breakup Speculation: Recent Disappearance Of Witty, Lovebirdsy Twitter Banter!

/

The Irish Independent's Niamh Horan "asks if the Nike Curse has struck again as the golf genius and his tennis ace lover appear to go into meltdown."

Here key evidence?

That lack of Twitter activity between the two in recent days...

The pair, who are usually very communicative with one another over Twitter, have not publicly conversed on the social networking site for several days.

The Trials & Tribulations Of "World No. 1" Status

/

With Stacy Lewis's win in Singapore, she's moving in on top ranked Yani Tseng, who lamented the "No. 1" pressure in an unbylined wire story.

"It's tough and it's very lonely," she said. "No one knows how do you feel. Everybody wants to be in your shoes, but no one knows how tough is that."

"The first year, when I was world No. 1, I feel good. But every month, everybody keeps building the expectations on me and that's lots of pressure."

And...

"World No. 1, I know it's good and people like it, but I want to care about myself more," she said. "If I lose (it), I'll get back one day, too."

Meanwhile Joe Posnanski writes about the "crippling" pressure created by a pesky algorithm putting a "1" next to your name.

These guys are pros, of course, and they train themselves to not think about any of this, to keep their thoughts positive and their visualizations clear … but it isn’t easy. And then, suddenly, a player is No. 1. And it all explodes. Every putt is world news. Reporters are everywhere. Everything you say is a headline, every opinion you offer (about golf or not) is analyzed and scrutinized. Expectations are insane – a bad round leads newscasts around the world. Whispers surround you. People invest hopes in you. It’s a lot to deal with. It’s hard to keep your bearings.

Call the Red Cross!

Anyway, this was fascinating...

Jack Nicklaus – who handled the No. 1 spot in the world better than anyone in golf history – said it best.

Today's trivia question readers, how many weeks did Jack Nicklaus spend in the World No. 1 spot?

Really, why do people take the golf rankings so seriously? I understand players wanting to get in the top 50 Club because of the perks that go along with it, but this is not tennis. Does the Official World Golf Ranking even come close to consistently telling us who is playing best in the world?