The PGA Tour heads to Miami this week, the first time playing at Doral since 2016. The reasons for not playing at a decidedly Tour-level venue are both varied and soaked in nuance, but we’ll skip those and just address the basics.
Tournament: Cadillac Championship, April 30-May 3, 2026.
Course: Trump National Doral’s Blue Monster Course; par 72; 7,739 yards. It used to be just the Blue course, but got renamed like everything else at the property (the name is justified – the course is a big track, and the 18th hole is a beast of a par 4, usually into the wind). Just outside downtown Miami, but practically across the street from Miami International Airport. You will both see and hear planes on the broadcast.
Purse: $20 million, with $4 million to the winner. Yes, another Signature Event aka cash grab for the rich.
Defending Champ: Adam Scott. The Boss clothing-sponsored and part-time supermodel won the WGC Cadillac Championship 10 years ago. Remember the WGC events? Man, I miss those simple times.
Fun Fact: Winners on this course are a Who’s Who of golf history. Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Lee Trevino, Nick Faldo, Tom Weiskopf, and many other hall of famers. It also boasts Craig Parry – another Aussie winner. Parry was a decent player 20 years ago, and won the tournament when he holed a fairway shot on the tough 18th. The best is that holier-than-thou broadcaster Johnny Miller had been bashing Parry’s swing all week on TV. And then ate some crow late Sunday.
TV Times: Thursday and Friday are on Golf Channel from 3-7 pm ET. Golf Channel also has the early coverage Saturday and Sunday from noon-3 pm, when CBS (okay, Paramount too) takes over from 3-7 pm ET.
‘Dawgs in the Field: It’s an 80 man limited field, but we have 5 former Bulldogs qualified and ready to tee it up. Russell Henley, Harris English, Brian Harman, Sepp Straka, and Keith Mitchell. A good finish by Mitchell will qualify him for the PGA Championship in 2 weeks.
We had the Masters 3 weeks ago, a Signature Event in Hilton Head right after, the fun but weird team event in NoLa last week, and another Signature Event in Charlotte next week. The PGA Championship is the week after that. Someone really needs to rework the PGA Tour calendar.
Because of the weird schedule, and possibly some personal beliefs, the #2 and #3 players in the world are skipping (Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick) as well as a few others in the top 30. But most of the top sticks are here, including Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood, and a host of crowd favorites like Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth. But we know who you’re really rooting for.
So tune in to see if our boys can put some Red & Black on the Blue Monster. Enjoy, and as always…
GO ‘DAWGS!!!
