Photo: Alamy
The PGA Tour is returning to one of its most storied venues, announcing Tuesday that Trump National Doral’s Blue Monster course will host the new Miami Championship beginning in 2026.
The tournament, set for April 30 through May 3, will be the fifth of nine limited-field signature events on the Tour’s schedule that year. The Miami Championship will feature a $20 million purse and is expected to draw about 70 of golf’s top-ranked players.
“We’re excited to showcase the game’s greatest players competing at golf’s most iconic venues,” PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp said in a statement to ESPN.
“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,” he added.
The Blue Monster course, famous for its long fairways, punishing rough, and challenging water hazards, has a long history with professional golf. It hosted PGA Tour events annually from 1962 to 2016, including the Doral Open and later the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship.
The Tour’s run at Doral ended in 2016 when the Cadillac sponsorship deal expired. The event moved to Mexico City after organizers failed to secure a replacement sponsor, a decision that drew criticism at the time from then-candidate Donald Trump.
“I just heard that the PGA Tour is taking their tournament out of Miami and moving it to Mexico,” Trump said in 2016. “They’re moving it to Mexico City which, by the way, I hope they have kidnapping insurance.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis praised the Tour’s decision to return to Miami, writing on X, “Great to see the PGA Tour returning to Miami next year for an event at the Blue Monster course at Trump Doral.”
Trump, who has long been associated with the sport, owns 17 golf courses worldwide, including 12 in the United States and five in international locations such as Scotland, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates.
The Miami Championship will be part of the PGA Tour’s effort to build a slate of high-profile signature events designed to attract the best players, increase fan engagement and compete with rival golf circuits.