I get the biggest crowds! (Donald J. Trump)
Sometimes we get a reason to have some serious fun at Trump’s expense. This friends is one of those times. I hope you’ll bear with me because there’s more to this than the empty grandstands on the 18th hole of Trump’s Doral golf course in the opening rounds of one of the PGA Tour’s “Signature” events. Ok, so they’ll probably be mostly full come Sunday but for now there’s plenty to mock. And in a larger context be pissed about.
The title picture (with one of Trump added in) comes from a screenshot posted on Xitter in an article from The Mirror US. Most professional golf tournaments have large grandstands at the 18th hole, and if not packed during the early (Thursday and Friday) rounds they tend to have a helluva lot more people than seen above. In fact, the title of the linked article is:
PGA Tour attendance at Donald Trump’s course causes alarm
Ouch. As the fictional Tommy Boy said more than once ‘That’s gonna leave a mark.’ We all know how Trump likes to brag about crowd size. Overcompensating for personal ‘size’ inadequacy perhaps? But let’s not get into Stormy Daniels stuff here. Trump insists that everywhere he goes he has the biggest crowds ever seen. In the same vein he insists that all he’s associated with is YUGELY popular, and that people can’t stay away. Of course we know that’s not true literally starting with his Inauguration. The fact Obama’s was bigger is something Trump will never, ever get over.
Over time his handlers had to curtain off sections of venues due to empty seats. Lord knows the threats made to TV networks not to pan the places to show the reality but even in his first term he had major outlets cowed. Only a few brave cameramen dared to obtain some footage, and brave people who truly had to worry about getting beaten up by security and having their phones taken from them. Moving to ever smaller venues didn’t solve the problem either. But sometimes, whether it’s sparsely occupied stands along Pennsylvania avenue for a second Inauguration, a bullshit military parade or now hosting a PGA tournament again (I’ll get to that in a minute) it’s a public event that will have more news coverage than Trump can control.
He was supremely pissed to have to be doing an event at The Villages instead of being over at his golf course yesterday. Hell, he insulted and berated the seniors in the largest and most well-known enclave of senior citizens in the country. Given he’ll turn 80 himself in a month mocking them over being ‘younger than all of you’ and implying in much better condition didn’t exactly shore up support in a hugely conservative area. At least it was a small enough venue that it (as far as I could tell) had a decent sized audience. Trump would have freaked the f**k out had he made a grand entrance to his Doral Club, posed with that gigantic (fifteen foot tall) statue and made his way over to some area near the 18th hole to hold court. Many a famous tournament host has done that over time. Arnold Palmer at his Bay Hill course in the tournament he started and hosted. Jack Nicklaus at Murefield in Ohio. And of course the granddaddy of the custom Bing Crosby at the iconic Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Wouldn’t it have been grand to see Trumpty-Dumpty waddle out there to wave to the crowd only to see there was NO crowd? Only a handful of spectators? No wonder he was rage tweeting last night. He had to take out his humiliation fueled ego bruising somehow! However as I said this is a problem for more than just Trump’s ego. It’s a problem for the PGA and as noted earlier a problem on a larger scale for golf.
The Doral goes back to 1962 and was a key stop on the tour for decades. A demanding course that players liked because of its toughness. Toughness which led to it getting the nickname ‘The Blue Monster.’ Then Trump bought the place and decided it was too easy, and wanted to embarrass PGA Tour professionals some so he tricked it out in places. That caused the course to start falling out of favor with some of the top players, almost all of whom had The Doral penciled in when planning their seasons. With the decline in the field came a decline in TV ratings and then Trump got into politics and association with him became an issue.
So The Doral was removed from the PGA tournament’s list of events and a different event started up. In Mexico which had to have damn near caused Trump to have a stroke. Both the USGA and the Royal and Ancient, golf’s two governing bodies grew concerned about being linked to Trump. Over in the UK Turnberry which had hosted some famed Opens was removed from the Open “Rota” (the list of courses the world’s oldest major championship rotates between) indefinitely. Trump has tried but can’t get them to add it back in. Here in the U.S. Trump wasn’t completely shunned by the PGA and LPGA but tournaments at his venues were cut back to almost nothing. Only the upstart, Saudi backed LIV (of course!) wanted to have anything to do with Trump and he’s hosted their bogus tournaments at his courses.
As for the PGA, when LIV came along an already incredibly spoiled group of top level PGA pros who were already really rich and got all kinds of perks and privileges wanted LOTS more money like the sellouts to LIV were getting. The details of what transpired are tedious so I won’t get into them. Except to note that the Tour wound up going from a set of four “World Golf Championship” events (with high purses and limited fields with no cut after 35 holes) to a whole series of “Signature” events. Same deal. Limited fields with HUGE money and no cut. At first the pros loved it, then took a look at the calendar. In addition to a whole bunch of Signature events that they’d be penalized for skipping they also got hit with a compacted golf season. Most don’t like to play more than three weeks in a row and between all the Signature events, the majors and The Player’s Championship (unofficially regarded as golf’s fifth major) top tour pros, the “stars” got hit with “Be careful what you wish for” syndrome.
Even though it’s a Signature event some of golf’s top ranked players decided to skip the Doral. And one well known (to golf fans) guy dropped out at the last minute. There still plenty of star power however. At the same time not having Master’s Champion Rory McElroy (for example) who was openly critical over a decade ago about Trump’s changes to Doral hurts both golf and Trump’s ego.
For all that the ‘southern swing’ (often called the Florida swing) of golf’s schedule always gets big crowds. Cadillac, which once sponsored The Doral was willing to suck up to Trump and sign on as sponsor of a Signature Event at his FL golf course. I get the Golf Channel in my cable package but except for Major tournaments and a handful of others mostly only watch LPGA coverage – when they show it. The pros on the LPGA aren’t the petulant, whiny ‘ME ME ME – I DESERVE MORE’ asshats so common as we get from the guys on the PGA tour. Just great golf and sportsmanship.
They recently held their first major of the year. Decades ago entertainment icon Dinah Shore had a vision for a major style women’s professional golf tournament – a version of The Masters for women. It was held at the same venue in southern California for years and even after ANA became the title sponsor and rebranded it it was still often called “The Dinah.” Then Chevron bought the rights to become the title sponsor and moved it away from the venue it had always been associated with. Imagine an oil company buying the rights to The Masters and moving it to Houston.
The new Chevron was held at a temporary location for it’s first few years and only this year moved to what’s intended to be its permanent home. Alas, the city of Houston did little to promote it and neither did NBC which owns the Golf Channel. It was an outstanding event and even had American Nelly Korda rack up a dominating performance that will be talked about for decades. Crowds were okay on the weekend but sparse during the week and I mention it because both the Golf Channel and NBC which broadcasted the Sat. and Sun. coverage took a lot of well-deserved criticism over their coverage.
Reading comments about it I saw plenty of references to ‘no crowds’ and ’empty stands’ – a lot of snark from a lot of asshat guys. Most I assume follow golf and likely are MAGAs. I’d love to stick a camera in their face while showing them the empty stands at Trumpty’s event and ask them about THAT! Because as I alluded to unlike Houston, NBC/The Golf Channel and even to a degree the LPGA not promoting the Chevron The Doral has gotten plenty of buildup. It’s a freaking Signature event for chrissakes! In Florida which has a long history of supporting golf!
Trump finally got himself a golf tournament to host again. Shame on the PGA for not only allowing him back, but handing him one of their much ballyhooed “Signature Events.” Karma decided it was time to step up and those empty stands, crowds less than even show up to LIV events sat there mocking Trump. And men’s professional golf. I of course won’t be watching any of it. I will however be watching the LPGA this evening when delayed coverage of the third round of their tournament in Mexico comes on. And yes, once again we have a couple of Americans (including newly again world #1 Nelly Korda) atop the leaderboard after the first two rounds.
I wonder how much tickets to the Doral have been discounted to get a decent sized crowd to show up for Trump’s event? Perhaps they are even giving them away? I have to admit if I lived near there and was offered a free ticket I’d use it. Not to watch a bunch of mostly spoiled PGA golfers but to head to that gigantic statue of Trump – so I could piss on it. The arrest and fine would be worth it! Anyway if you want to have a good laugh at Trump’s expense just look at that picture of the virtually EMPTY grandstand at the 18th green of Doral. At a PGA Tour SIGNATURE event he browbeat them into letting him host. Hopefully you’ll find it as funny as I do.
Friends, I know everyone begs you for money. I promise, among all those asking for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest working. We’re a group of old, disabled people, except for one writer in his mid-50s. The rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the chance to keep telling the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thank you. Ursula
