Blue Monster enters its 50th year of hosting PGA TOUR events

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The TPC Blue Monster at Doral is hosting a PGA TOUR event for the 50th consecutive year.

If 50 is the new 30, then the TPC Blue Monster at Doral Golf Resort & Spa hasn't even hit its stride.

For five decades, this stunning south Florida layout has played host to some of the most hotly contested championships on the PGA TOUR, with virtually every great name in golf competing on its links. With the top 50 players in the Official World Golf Ranking competing in this week's World Golf Championships--Cadillac Championship, it appears the best is yet to come.

Consider the numbers, and it's easy to see why the TPC Blue Monster ranks high on the list of professional golf lore: Half of all championships held in the past 49 years on the TPC Blue Monster have been decided by one stroke, including the first eight events; eight current World Golf Hall of Famers have won at Doral (Billy Casper, '62 and '64; Jack Nicklaus, '72 and '75; Lee Trevino, '73; Raymond Floyd, '80, '81, '92; Tom Kite, '84; Ben Crenshaw, '88; Greg Norman, '90, '93, '96; and Nick Faldo, '95); and the Doral winners have won a combined 62 major championships.

Add to that the fact that just two other venues -- Augusta National (The Masters since 1934) and Colonial Country Club (pro golf since 1946) -- have continuously hosted PGA TOUR tournaments longer than Doral, and the course takes on legendary status.

Originally designed in 1962 by noted architect Dick Wilson, the Blue Monster was redesigned in 1993 by Raymond Floyd -- winner of every major championship on American soil on both the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour -- along with acclaimed golf instructor Jim McLean, as part of a $30 million property-wide renovation.

After hosting the TOUR's Doral Open for 44 years, in 2007 the Blue Monster became the permanent home to the Cadillac Championship, previously the CA Championship, one of three World Golf Championships sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours. In 2009, the course was renamed the TPC Blue Monster at Doral when it was added to the TOUR's acclaimed TPC Network, an award-winning collection of premier private and resort clubs designed by some of golf's most elite architects.

Over the years, many historic battles have been contested on its fabled fairways, including six championships that have been decided by a playoff.

In 1990, Greg Norman fired a 6-under par 30 on the back nine to earn a berth in a four-way playoff with Paul Azinger, Mark Calcavecchia and Tim Simpson. Norman then chipped in from 24 feet on the No. 1 green for the win.

In March 2005, a classic clash between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson may have been decided on the 16th hole on Saturday, as Woods drove the green on the 370-yard hole. After two-putting for birdie, Tiger went on to a one-stroke victory with a tournament-record 24-under par 264.

Another nail-biter came in 1978 during a 36-hole Sunday finale, forced because of a rain delay earlier in the week. Jack Nicklaus began the round four strokes behind Tom Weiskopf but seemed destined for glory with a closing 65 in a round that included a back-nine 30, a 25-foot birdie putt, and 57- and 58-foot eagles. However, Weiskopf pulled off some magic of his own, stemming Nicklaus' charge by going 3-under between the 10th and 15th holes. Nicklaus birdied the 17th to trim the lead to just one stroke but narrowly missed a chip-in birdie on the 18th. Weiskopf countered with a two-putt from 35 feet for par on the 18th to finish with a 68 and a memorable one-stroke triumph over his fellow Ohio State University alumnus.

By far the most notable hole on the TPC Blue Monster is its demanding par-4, 449-yard 18th, ranked by Golf Magazine as one of the "Top 100 Holes in the World." Featuring its signature fountain, players desire a solid and straight tee shot, as water runs the length of the left side and Bermuda rough and palms protect the right side. They then hope to follow with a solidly struck mid-iron to a perilous green that slopes severely towards the water.

One of the most memorable tournament moments on the 18th came in 1995 during the Doral Open, when Nick Faldo and Greg Norman -- both in their primes -- battled in a head-to-head duel. Faldo hit his tee shot into the water left off the tee and had to drop with a penalty stroke. He then played a 3-wood shot out over the lake, cutting it into the headwind and onto the green, making bogey five to beat Norman by one shot.

The TPC Blue Monster isn't Doral Golf Resort & Spa's only course with bite.

Considered among the finest golf resorts in the world, the property boasts four other outstanding layouts including its Greg Norman Signature Course, The Great White -- the only golf course of its kind in the Southeastern United States that utilizes coquina, crushed shells, as the primary design element on every hole. The course was rated the "Best New Golf Course for 2000" by the National Golf Foundation, and has since undergone several renovations to fine-tune this beautiful but demanding layout.

Most recently, Doral added the new par-70 Jim McLean Signature Course as part of a monumental $16 million top-to-bottom resort transformation in anticipation of the property's golden jubilee in 2012 -- bringing the total invested in renovations during the past five years to more than $100 million.

At just over 7,000 yards with minimal rough and more water features than any other course at Doral, "The McLean" is highlighted by three tough opening holes (consecutive par 4s approaching 500 yards). The new course also features a dramatic back nine with McLean's "Bermuda Triangle," a scenic and challenging stretch of holes forming a triangle around a large lake, including the signature 14th hole with an island green. Accommodating all playing levels, The Jim McLean Signature Course's unique set-up enables golfers to hit 15 of the 18 holes without having to carry a bunker.

The TPC Blue Monster at Doral Golf Resort & Spa promises more history-making moments this week, as Ernie Els defends his title against one of the world's best fields, including No. 1 Martin Kaymer, as well as Tiger Woods -- who won the Cadillac Championship the first time it was played on the TPC Blue Monster in 2007 -- and 2009 champion Phil Mickelson, who will be seeking his third World Golf Championships victory.

Woods and Mickelson are in the same group, along with U.S. Open champ Graeme McDowell, for the first two rounds. Kaymer will be grouped with No. 2 Lee Westwood and No. 3 Luke Donald.

MORE ON DORAL

Part of Marriott's portfolio of 60 prestigious resorts worldwide, Doral Golf Resort & Spa features an incomparable array of amenities spread over 650 tropical acres. This includes 693 beautifully appointed guest rooms and suites clustered into villa-like lodges, with stay 'n play packages available through PGA TOUR Experiences (tpc.com); the newly enhanced Spa at Doral, a 52,000 square-foot facility encompassing a 7,000 square-foot fitness center, the renowned Pritikin Longevity Center, and a private yoga facility; the Jim McLean Golf School; the Blue Lagoon water park, featuring a 125-foot slide, waterfalls, cabanas, a beach, boardwalk, and Camp Doral, a full-service recreational center for children; nine retail outlets; and five superb restaurants and lounges, including the new Latin-inspired Mesazul steakhouse restaurant and Brazilian Bossa Nova lobby bar offering live bossa nova music from the '60s, the same era the resort was established.