With the eyes of the golfing world sharply on him these last couple of months, real estate tycoon Donald Trump has made public his ambition of hosting the Ryder Cup one day on his Trump International Golf Course, which is currently being built in Dubai.
The 67-year-old American, who purchased Turnberry and the Greg Norman-designed Doonbeg course in Ireland recently, was in town yesterday to unveil the clubhouse design for his golf course, which will form the heart of Akoya by Damac, a 42 million square foot community in Dubailand.
Apart from his purchases, which have swelled his portfolio of courses to 16, Trump was also feted for the re-design of the Blue Monster at Doral, which hosts the annual WGC-Cadillac Championship, and secured the 2022 PGA Championship at the Trump National at Bedminster in New Jersey.
And in true Trump style he said there was no reason why the Ryder Cup – the biennial showdown between America and Europe – cannot be hosted on his golf course in the UAE, even though it is not scheduled to open for the public before the second quarter of 2015.
“This will be an incredible venue for the European Tour to bring the Ryder Cup here. Certainly the golf course is built to the highest standards. It is as good as it gets – interms of shot-making, in terms of everything,” said Trump.
“We have a good chance of getting the Ryder Cup because, in my opinion, they will be bringing it to this region in the not too distant future. And we will have the best course by far.”
Trump was effusive in his praisefor the under-construction course, which is designed by renowned architect Gill Hanse, also the man chosen to design the Rio Olympic golf course.
He added: “A recent comment was made by one of the finest golf photographers in the world that I have the greatest collection of golf courses ever assembled by one person, which is a great compliment.
“You look at Turnberry, and it is an Open course. We have just got the PGA Championship and the Women’s US Open (at Trump National at Bedminster). It is the youngest course ever to get a Major championship.
“I have great courses and if they can’t be the best, I am not interested. I think this will definitely fit that model. I just came from Turnberry, which has years and years of history and great championships on it, but this is going to be equallygreat. We are hoping so. In fact, we will make sure it is.
“Our course is going to be better (than the other courses in the region). I am not saying that because it’s the thing to say, but because we are building it to the absolute highest standards.
“It’s difficult to explain, but it has a lot to do with the shot-making, the beauty, the toughness and so on. This will be one of the great courses in the world, not just Dubai.
“As for competing against others, we will see what happens, but we will have the best canvas amongst them all.”
The clubhouse is designed to be a representation of the global stature of a Trump Golf clubhouse building. The appealing and modern design includes several features, including the ‘Grand Arrival’ experience.
Hussain Sajwani, executive chairman and chief executive officer of Damac, said: “The clubhouse design is a strong statement of architectural excellence, combining beauty and functionality.
This is another proof of the capabilities and talents available in our design department.”
