The PGA Tour is interested in making a long-awaited return to the Donald Trump-owned National Doral course in Miami, despite its links to their LIV Golf rivals.
The Blue Monster at Trump Doral has become a mainstay on the LIV schedule, having hosted the league’s Miami event – including the Team Championship – in each season since its inception. The breakaway league will once again make a return in 2025, with the tournament taking place next month.
Historically, the Doral setup had been a PGA Tour venue for over 40 years, having played host to the Doral Open between 1962 and 2006, with a past champions list including Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus, and Nick Faldo.
Following its lengthy spell away from the PGA Tour calendar though, it appears the now Trump-owned setup could be set to return. According to a report by Golf Digest, those in charge of golf’s leading tour are interested in bringing the track back to the calendar at some point.
It comes after President Trump was called in by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan to help move along peace talks with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF). The Tour announced Trump’s involvement last month after Monahan and Adam Scott met with the President at the White House.
Trump is known to have strong connections with both sides, most notably LIV and PIF in recent years, having hosted a whole host of tournaments on the Saudi-backed tour in recent years. Opening up on the meeting, Monahan said at the Genesis Invitational: “The statement that Adam, Tiger [Woods] and I released I think really reflects our enthusiasm for that meeting and for that day.
Donald Trump has close ties to LIV Golf
“I think the meeting ultimately gets us one step closer to a deal being done, but there’s a lot more work to do. Hopefully, you sense my enthusiasm as I talk about it today.” Trump in an avid golf fan and player, and his keenness to help aid talks came as no surprise.
“For him to respond to our request to sit down and talk about how we achieve what he stated publicly as a goal, which is the game of golf operating under one tour with all the top players playing on that one tour, was a great opportunity,” Monahan added. “We had a really productive conversation.”
The move was also welcomed on the LIV side, with the league’s new CEO Scott O’Neil telling Al Arabiya News in February: “If the leader of the free world is spending his time on golf, [then] I am very happy. This game matters. It gives values that this world needs more of right now. It brings us together with connectivity.”
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