MIAMI – MARCH 6: Tiger Woods (L) and Phil Mickelson line up their putts on the 14th green during the final round of the Ford Championship at Doral on March 6, 2005 held at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
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The PGA Tour returns to Trump National Doral’s Blue Monster after a ten year hiatus, following the World Golf Championship’s (WGC) move to Mexico City.
“The reason we’re not there is because we couldn’t find a sponsor,” Commissioner Jay Monahan said in 2017. “I spent a lot of time trying to find a sponsor for that tournament. To leave was disappointing. If we found a sponsor, we would still be there.”
The golf course has a rich history, serving as a PGA Tour and later WGC site since its opening in 1962. It first hosted The Doral Open until 2007, when the event transitioned to the WGC-Cadillac Championship. In 2016, after Donald Trump’s election, Cadillac dropped its sponsorship and the venue was moved to Mexico City. The Blue Monster later hosted a LIV Golf event in 2022.
Champions at Doral include major winners Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskopf, Lee Trevino, Billy Casper, Raymond Floyd, Greg Norman, Hubert Green, Ben Crenshaw, Lanny Wadkins, Tom Kite, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, and Tiger Woods.
Woods won four times at the Blue Monster, including the memorable 2005 tournament where he outdueled Phil Mickelson. Dubbed “The Duel at Doral” by Sports Illustrated, the final round began with Mickelson leading by two strokes. Woods reached the par-5 12th hole in two and sank a 25 foot eagle putt to take a two stroke lead. Mickelson answered with birdies at 13 and 14, but Woods drove the green on 16 for another birdie and followed with a 28 foot birdie putt at 17 to secure victory.
Defending his title in 2006, Woods limped to the finish with bogeys on the last two holes but still defeated David Toms and Camilo Villegas by a stroke. He returned in 2007 to edge Brett Wetterich by two shots.
Last Tuesday, the PGA Tour announced a return to Doral in 2026 under the name Miami Championship, pending a major sponsor. The event is scheduled for the first week of May and will be one of nine Signature Events on the 2026 schedule.
The former WGC at Doral consistently drew one of the strongest fields in golf outside of the majors, and its return as a Signature Event ensures it will once again be a premier tournament on the PGA Tour.