‘Blue Monster’ to host PGA Tour

LOS ANGELES (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.

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.

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.”