Players ready to test redesigned 'Blue Monster' at WGC-Cadillac Championship

The Trump National Doral Miami course, also known as the Blue Monster, was once one of the most feared courses on the PGA Tour. 

With the advancement of modern equipment and the increased skill level of professional golfers, the Blue Monster has lost some of its fear factor in recent years. During previous WGC Cadillac Championship tournaments, winners have won with totals of -16 and -19, resulting in the course losing its reputation as one of the most daunting. 

In attempt to restore the Blue Monster's difficulty, owner Donald Trump contracted architect Gil Hanse to redesign the course, with a focus on making it "fair". 

"No. 1, I want to hear that it's fair. If you hit good shots, you will be rewarded for good shots. The word fairness is important. I really believe the great players are going to find it very fair," Trump said in an interview with the Golf Channel, via Sky Sports. 

A majority of the holes have been altered, but Hanse revealed that the famous 18th (Blue Monster) wasn't included in the course's redesign.

"It's obviously been one of the most difficult, challenging holes for the PGA Tour players. Because of that status, because the golf course is named for that hole, it was important for us to retain it. It wasn't broke, so we didn't need to fix it," Hanse said. 

Hanse admitted that what originally started as a restoration process became a full-blown redesign. 

"I think we started with a restoration in mind because we were dealing with a historic course and a very respected designer in Dick Wilson. But as we really opened the place up, it became more of a redesign, and at this point in time it's a brand new course."

The tournament is set to begin on Thursday, but it's unknown if defending champion Tiger Woods will compete due to an ailing back.