Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Donald Trump’s famed Trump National Doral course will host a PGA Tour event next season, returning to the circuit after a 10-year absence, the tour confirmed on Tuesday. Doral’s “Blue Monster” was a regular stop on the PGA circuit for more than half a century, hosting a tournament annually from 1962 to 2016, when it staged the WGC-Cadillac Championship.
However, the tournament was moved from Doral after sponsor Cadillac decided not to renew its sponsorship, and a replacement sponsor could not be found. The PGA Tour, which had been sharply critical of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign rhetoric concerning immigrants, subsequently moved the event to Mexico — prompting a furious reaction from Trump at the time. Doral has since hosted a stop on the Saudi Arabia-financed LIV Golf circuit.
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As of next season, however, the course will stage The Miami Championship, which will become one of the PGA Tour’s nine signature events — the elite tournaments that feature the world’s best players and offer purses of $20 million. “We’re excited to showcase the game’s greatest players competing at golf’s most iconic venues,” PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp said in a statement to announce the 2026 schedule. “Inspired by our players and fans, we’re accelerating the Tour’s evolution and ushering in a new era of innovation on and off the course.”
The PGA Tour has had an uneasy relationship with avid golfer Trump over the past decade. The tour issued a statement in 2015 which said Trump’s remarks about Mexican immigrants were “inconsistent with our strong commitment to an inclusive and welcoming environment in the game of golf”. When the PGA Tour subsequently moved its WGC event to Mexico for commercial reasons following the failure to find a sponsor, Trump reacted angrily, describing it as a “sad day for Miami, the United States and the game of golf”.
“They’re moving it to Mexico City,” Trump said at the time. “I hope they have kidnapping insurance.” Trump’s relationship with the PGA Tour has improved in recent years, however, with the US leader involved in peace talks between the tour and LIV Golf over a possible deal to unify the two rival circuits.
© 2024 AFP
