PGA Tour Returns to Trump Doral: Golf Shift Explained

The PGA Tour will return to Trump National Doral’s Blue Monster course in May 2026 for a new tournament, the miami Championship, which ⁣will be the Tour’s ninth Signature event with ⁢a $20 million+ purse. The decision is attributed to financial ‍motivations rather than political ones.

Trump purchased the⁣ resort in 2012, and the event’s return provides him with a “facility ⁣fee” and notable media exposure. The Tour benefits⁢ from a big-money event at little cost, potentially aiding a future‍ LIV merger.⁢ CBS, ⁤the broadcast partner, also gains programming and has‍ recently made concessions to the ‍White House.

This isn’t ‍the first time⁣ money has influenced events at Doral. In 1962,developer Alfred Kaskel funded the inaugural Doral‍ Country Club Open Invitational to market his resort,offering a $35,000 (later raised to $50,000) purse to attract top golfers.⁣ The event ⁣evolved over⁣ the decades, with the purse eventually reaching nearly $10 million. trump further capitalized on the ⁣event after ‍purchasing the property in 2012, actively marketing himself alongside it.

However, Trump’s political ⁤rise led to Cadillac ending its sponsorship in 2016, and the Tour moved the event to⁣ Mexico in 2017, though the Tour claimed Trump’s comments weren’t a⁣ factor.