Golf has a short memory, but Doral never left anyone’s mind. After a decade away, the PGA Tour is heading back to the Blue Monster. The 2026 Cadillac Championship is scheduled from April 30 through May 3. This PGA Tour Signature Event brings together 72 of the world’s best players, competing for a $20M purse with a winner’s share of $3.6M. This return to Doral is not just a scheduling move; it is a statement. The Blue Monster hosted PGA Tour events from 1962 to 2016, building a reputation as one of the toughest finishing tests in professional golf.

History and significance of the Cadillac Championship Venue

The tournament, which dates back to 1999 as part of the World Golf Championships series, was first known as the WGC-American Express Championship before it found a home at Doral and was eventually known by the Cadillac name from 2011 to 2016. Some really memorable golf in that stretch was played on the Blue Monster.

Tiger Woods made this tournament almost his own, winning seven times in this championship, four of those between 2005 and 2013. That kind of beatdown on one course shows how well his game fits the needs of Doral. Gil Hanse’s 2014 renovation tightened things up considerably, and the fact that Patrick Reed won that year at just 4-under shows how brutally the course can play when conditions tighten.

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The Blue Monster’s 18th hole has long been considered one of the hardest finishing holes in the game, with water coming into play and very little margin for a player trying to close out a title or chase one down.

One unique tradition that started with the Trump National Doral renovation is the naming of its guest villas after the greatest icons in the game of golf. The eight villas are named for legends like Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Sam Snead and Tiger Woods.

Trump National Doral acquired the property in 2012 for $150M. Doral hosted LIV Golf events from 2022 to 2025 before the PGA Tour’s return. This marks the 56th playing of a Tour event at the club, making it one of the longest-standing venue relationships in professional golf. Over five decades, 14 World Golf HOF members have claimed victories here.

Interesting facts about the 2026 event

The 2026 edition is officially treated as a brand-new, inaugural event. It does not carry forward the records or history from the WGC era, so everything starts fresh. Following Hanse’s renovation work, the course now stretches to 7,739 yards as a par-72, making it the second-longest layout on the 2026 PGA Tour schedule, sitting just behind Torrey Pines.

The field construction leans heavily on the previous year’s FedExCup standings, targeting the top 50 finishers alongside current season performers. Scottie Scheffler headlines the player list, while Rory McIlroy is notably absent, marking his second straight Signature Event skip.

For hospitality, the 1962 Club on-site rotates daily restaurant partners throughout the week, pulling from popular Miami dining spots. And for those tracking alternate scenarios, Brooks Koepka was listed as the first alternate, a position that would have triggered some genuinely complicated field adjustment rules had he gotten in.