Ryan YoungStaff writerMon, April 27, 2026 at 8:11 PM UTC·5 min readThe PGA Tour is back in South Florida this week, and set for a new signature event at a course the league hasn’t played at in a decade.
The Cadillac Championship will kick off on Thursday at Trump National Doral, marking the first time that a Tour event has been played there since it left President Donald Trump’s course for Mexico City. It will be the first Tour event held at one of Trump’s courses while he’s in office. It’s a signature event, too, so a lot is on the line.
Here’s everything you need to know, including Trump’s complicated history and relationship with the PGA Tour, ahead of the event this week.
Back in 2016, after Cadillac pulled out as the title sponsor, the Tour opted to move the former World Golf Championships event from the Doral course to Mexico City. The tournament was rebranded to the WGC-Mexico Championship, though the WGC era ended on Tour in 2023.
Trump was just a candidate for president at the time, though he was the presumptive Republican nominee for the election that fall. And, similar to the other inflammatory remarks he made toward Mexicans and immigrants in general during his campaign back then, Trump ripped the decision.
“I just heard that the PGA Tour is taking their tournament out of Miami and moving it to Mexico, as an example,” Trump said on a Fox News appearance at the time. “They’re moving it to Mexico City which, by the way, I hope they have kidnapping insurance.”
The Doral course had been a regular stop on Tour since 1962. Trump purchased the course in 2012, and the Tour reached a 10-year deal to keep the tournament at the course in 2013. But once Cadillac pulled out, the Tour opted to end the deal early.
Other Trump courses have lost significant tournaments over political reasons, too. The PGA of America moved the 2022 PGA Championship from his New Jersey course after the January 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol. The Grand Slam of Golf was moved from Trump’s Southern California course in 2015. Trump’s Turnberry course in Scotland has not hosted a British Open since 2009, five years before he purchased the course, either, something the R&A leadership has said is due largely to logistical issues, Trump and the extra attention he would bring to the event.
The Tour opted to return to Doral this season, which is the first under new CEO Brian Rolapp. Cadillac is back as the title sponsor, too, and the Tour opted to elevate the tournament and make it one of its signature events — which comes with an elevated $20 million purse, a limited field and more.
The decision came shortly after LIV Golf, which is now apparently in jeopardy after a tumultuous few weeks for the Saudi Arabian-backed venture, opted not to return to Doral for the 2026 season. LIV Golf has played at several Trump-owned properties, and will play at both the New Jersey and Virginia courses this season.
While the Cadillac Championship is back on the schedule, Rolapp is working to completely revamp the Tour’s schedule in the coming years. It’s unclear if the tournament will remain a signature event in a prominent spot in the schedule.
“We are pleased to welcome back Cadillac, a world-class brand whose partnership with the PGA Tour is synonymous with Trump National Doral, a legacy venue on our schedule,” Rolapp said in December. "We appreciate the support of Cadillac as we bring a new era of the PGA Tour to our fans in Miami."
While top-ranked Scottie Scheffler is in the field this week, several major stars are opting to skip the event — including reigning back-to-back Masters champion Rory McIlroy.
McIlroy has not played since he won at Augusta National earlier this month, and skipped the RBC Heritage the following week. This is now the second straight signature event he’s missed, and the third of the season.
McIlroy has not said why he isn’t playing this week, though he has said recently that he wants to cut down on his schedule a bit. McIlroy is expected to play at the Truist Championship next week at Quail Hollow, the final event before the PGA Championship.
Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick, Robert MacIntyre and Ludvig Aberg, who are all inside the top 15 in the Official World Golf Rankings, aren’t playing either. Fitzpatrick has won on Tour in back-to-back weeks, most recently alongside his brother Alex at the Tour’s team event in New Orleans.
As of Monday afternoon, neither Trump nor the Tour have announced that the president will attend the tournament this weekend.
However, Trump is expected to return to his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, this weekend, according to the Palm Beach Post. The club sits about 75 miles northeast of Trump National Doral, so a trip to the tournament wouldn’t be a complete shock. He attended a LIV Golf tournament there in 2024, too, though he wasn’t in office at the time.