The most talked-about feature at Trump National Doral this week isn’t the punishing ‘Blue Monster’ course. It’s a 15-foot gold statue of Donald Trump that’s about to become even more of a spectacle.

Standing 22 feet tall, including its pedestal, it will receive a new plaque in front of it on May 6 during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the resort. The plaque will read: “Fight Fight Fight! President Donald J. Trump’s unrelenting fight to make America great again.” The addition comes just as the PGA Tour’s Cadillac Championship returns to Doral’s Blue Monster course this week, putting the statue directly in the spotlight for one of golf’s marquee events.

The timing could not be more deliberate. The Donald Trump statue, made from gold-leaf bronze and commissioned by cryptocurrency group $PATRIOT, depicts Trump with a raised fist, a direct reference to the July 2024 assassination attempt. Ohio sculptor Alan Cottrill created the piece, which was previously caught in a payment dispute before being installed at the resort earlier this month.

Top Stories

Golf

Saudi PIF Terminates LIV Golf Funding for Good as Jon Rahm & Co. Face Uncertain Future

18 hrs ago

Golf

DP World Tour CEO Responds Firmly as LIV Golf Pros Reportedly Seek Return

2 days ago

Golf

LIV Golf CEO Addresses Financial Troubles Reports as Bryson DeChambeau Exit Talks Intensify

1 day ago

Golf

PGA Tour CEO Breaks Silence As Jon Rahm and Co’s Future Thrown Into Doubt Amid LIV Golf Uncertainty

2 weeks ago

In fact, pros also noticed. Rickie Fowler, never short of a line, quipped, “It’s going to make me look smaller than I already am,” when asked whether he’d pose for a photo with the Donald Trump statue.

Meanwhile, Maverick McNealy was more straightforward ahead of the $20M event: “It’s very tall and very gold.” A tournament photographer asked the Tour staff for a group shot by the statue. The staff responded with a flat “No.” The photographer then said, “Ok, I didn’t know you were all so woke.”

The statue, sometimes called “Don Colossus,” overlooks the golf course from its pedestal and should draw significant attention when the gates open for Wednesday’s pro-am.

The Blue Monster‘s fearsome reputation is well-earned, especially after a $250 million-plus renovation. Gil Hanse’s sweeping redesign stretched the course to over 7,700 yards, rebuilt every green, and significantly altered 12 holes, including the reimagined 15th with its intimidating peninsula green. The result is a layout that now carries the highest penalty rate on tour, forcing players to confront an average of nearly one penalty stroke per round.

Before losing its spot on the schedule, Doral hosted the PGA Tour from 1962 to 2016. After a stint as a LIV Golf venue, it is back on the PGA Tour calendar this week, adding another layer to an already charged atmosphere—a Trump-owned course, a gold statue mid-makeover, and one of the toughest tracks in the game. This week at Doral is going to be anything but ordinary.

Doral’s history has never been short of drama, on or off the course.

Fun fact: The Blue Monster has always had a taste for the dramatic

Past winners at Doral include Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Lee Trevino, Nick Faldo, and Tom Weiskopf. The Blue Monster has been a good place for the game’s best players, and its champions list is one of the most decorated stops on the PGA Tour calendar.

Take Craig Parry’s example. The Australian wasn’t quite in that superstar category, but pulled off one of the most theatrical finishes Doral has ever seen, sinking a fairway shot from about 170 yards at the 18th to win the 2004 Ford Championship in a playoff.

It was the context that made it unforgettable. NBC analyst Johnny Miller had spent the week tearing Parry’s swing apart on the air, comparing it to that of a 15-handicapper and saying it would make Ben Hogan uncomfortable. Those were big words for a man still competing at the Tour level.

Tour officials even raised the issue with Parry during the week. Then on Sunday, he holed out from the fairway to win. Miller later admitted he had used the wrong words and admitted the swing clearly worked. Doral has a way of making its own stories.