Trump National Doral has undergone a makeover ahead of the PGA Tour’s return this week, with one particularly eye-catching detail.
The Tour returns to President Donald Trump’s Miami golf course this week for the first time since 2016 as Doral’s Blue Monster hosts the inaugural Cadillac Championship.
While it is currently unclear if Trump, who hosted a State Dinner in honor of King Charles on Tuesday, will attend the tournament, his presence will still be unavoidable no matter what.
That’s because a towering gold statue of the Commander-in-Chief has been erected on the grounds of the course.
The 15-feet-tall statue depicts the president throwing his fist into the air as he did in in the moments following the July 2024 assassination attempt on his life in Pennsylvania.
However, it almost didn’t make it to the course in time for this week’s PGA Tour signature event.
A towering gold statue of President Donald Trump has been unveiled at Trump National Doral
The PGA Tour’s biggest stars, including World No 1 Scottie Scheffler, will play Doral this week
Sculptor Alan Cottrill, who works out of Zanesville, Ohio, was commissioned for the project in August 2024, the month following the assassination attempt on the president, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
$PATRIOT, a cryptocurrency group, commissioned the work to be done with Cottrill being paid paid $300,000 for the 15-foot bronze statue itself and another $60,000 for the gold leafing.
However, Cottrill reportedly held the statue hostage after he accused the crypto group of copyright infringement after it used the likeness of the artwork to sell crypto tokens.
After full payment was received, both parties reached an agreement with Cottrill releasing the statue last week when it finally made its way down to Doral.
The new, shiny gold-leaf statue will now overlook the course as it plays host the PGA Tour’s $20million tournament.
The event marks the first time the PGA Tour has returned to Doral since the World Golf Championships event in 2016.
However, the field is missing five of the top 15 players in the world, led by Masters champion Rory McIlroy. Also skipping the event are Xander Schauffele and Ludvig Aberg.
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The 15-feet-tall statue depicts the president throwing his fist into the air after the 2024 assassination attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania
Sculptor Alan Cottrill, who works out of Zanesville, Ohio, was commissioned for the project
McIlroy was in Trump’s presence this week, however, when he attended the State Dinner in honor of King Charles at the White House.
The golfing superstar, 36, and his wife Erica Stoll were among the A-list guests invited to the glitzy State Dinner in honor of King Charles and Queen Camilla hosted by President Donald Trump at the White House.
The Northern Irishman was invited to the prestigious event less than a month after he captured his second-straight victory at Augusta National.
And the president interrupted his speech to recognize the six-time major winner’s latest success, hailing him as ‘unconquerable.’
