Donald Trump rips PGA Tour for moving Doral tournament to Mexico

Donald Trump confirmed that the PGA Tour will move the annual World Golf Championship in South Florida from Trump National Doral to Mexico in 2016.

The event, held for the past 55 years at the highly-acclaimed Doral course nicknamed the "Blue Monster," will now be played at Club de Golf Chapultapec outside Mexico City. The move confirms rumors that began to swirl in December after the presumptive Republican presidential nominee made inflammatory remarks toward Mexicans and immigrants and called for a temporary ban on Muslims from entering the United States.

"It is a sad day for Miami, the United States and the game of golf, to have the PGA Tour consider moving the World Golf Championships, which has been hosted in Miami for the last 55 years, to Mexico," Trump said in a statement released Wednesday. "No different than Nabisco, Carrier and so many other American companies, the PGA Tour has put profit ahead of thousands of American jobs, millions of dollars in revenue for local communities and charities and the enjoyment of hundreds of thousands of fans who make the tournament an annual tradition. This decision only further embodies the very reason I am running for President of the United States."

The Golf Channel's Tim Rosaforte broke the story Wednesday following Trump's appearance on Fox New's "Hannity" the previous night in which Trump said he had just learned the PGA Tour was going to move the event to Mexico.

"They're moving it to Mexico City which, by the way, I hope they have kidnapping insurance," Trump said Tuesday night. "But they're moving it to Mexico City."

Rosaforte said on The Golf Channel on Wednesday that from afar the Club de Golf Chapultapec doesn't look fantastic, but that it has been vetted by the PGA Tour and is part of one of the safest resorts in the country.

Doral has been on the PGA Tour schedule since 1962, and was acquired by Trump in 2012. He oversaw a $250 million renovation, and the Tour signed a 10-year agreement the following year to keep the tournament in South Florida. But the deal included an out clause should the Tour be unable to secure a title sponsor for the event, and Cadillac's sponsorship of the event concluded this year, according to The Golf Channel.

Trump claimed in March that he would "make much more money" if the tournament was moved and he was able to sell rooms and packages to tourists.