The Cadillac Championship returned to Doral’s Blue Monster this spring for the first time in ten years. The course has hosted more than fifty events. The winner took home $3.6 million and 700 FedEx Cup points. And the photos from that weekend showed empty bleachers, thin galleries, and VIP tents set up for a crowd that never arrived.
The official attendance figures have not been published. What has been published are the photos, and they tell their own story.
Was F1 Actually the Culprit?
The easiest explanation making the rounds is the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix. The race ran the same weekend and drew around 275,000 spectators. On its face, that sounds like a serious competitor for eyeballs and wallets.
But Miami and its surrounding area has a population of over five million people. A region that size should be able to fill both grandstands and galleries on the same weekend. The F1 overlap is real, but it is not a complete answer on its own.
The Field Was Thin for a Signature Event
A more concrete factor: the player field was missing some of the biggest names in the game.
Rory McIlroy withdrew a week before the event started, which generated its own controversy. But he was not alone. Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick, Ludvig Åberg, and Patrick Cantlay all sat this one out. For a designated signature event carrying extra FedEx Cup points, that is an unusual number of top players choosing to be elsewhere. Signature events are supposed to guarantee the best fields on tour. This one did not deliver.
Fans who buy tickets to a signature event expect to watch the best golfers in the world. When several of them are at home, some fans stay home too.
The Trump Factor Is Hard to Ignore
Then there is the venue itself.
Doral carries Trump branding throughout the property, including a prominent gold statue of the owner near the clubhouse. Trump has spent years as one of the most vocal supporters of LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed tour that has been in direct conflict with the PGA Tour since 2022. Many PGA Tour fans have strong feelings about that conflict and about the figures involved in it.
A PGA Tour signature event bearing Trump’s name, played at a Trump resort, under that backdrop, is asking something of fans that not everyone is willing to give. Whether that tipped the attendance numbers in a meaningful way is impossible to measure precisely. But the photos suggest something beyond a scheduling conflict was at work.
The tour also announced TSA-style Secret Service screening for the final two rounds, warning that travel times to the property could significantly increase. Fans were told to arrive earlier than planned and to minimize personal items. For anyone already on the fence about attending, that kind of friction does not help.
What This Means for the Tour
The PGA Tour designated its signature events as the premium tier of its schedule. Fewer events, bigger purses, the best fields. The logic was that concentrating star power would drive more interest, more attendance, and stronger ratings. Doral 2026 was a test of that model, and on the attendance side, it did not pass.
There are too many variables to pin the thin crowd on any single cause. The F1 scheduling conflict, the weakened field, the Secret Service logistics, and the political complexity of the venue all converged in the same weekend. The result was a marquee event that looked like a mid-tier stop.
The tour will look at that and make adjustments. What those adjustments look like is worth watching.
What People Are Saying
Fans and observers online have split roughly into two camps. One group points to the F1 overlap as a structural scheduling mistake the tour should have anticipated and avoided. The other argues the venue choice itself was the deeper problem, that asking PGA Tour loyalists to fill the stands at a Trump property after years of LIV conflict was always going to be a difficult ask.
Both camps have a point. They are also not mutually exclusive.
If you were at Doral this weekend, what you saw from the ground matters more than any aerial photo. The comment section is open.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the Cadillac Championship have low attendance in 2026?
Several factors appear to have contributed: the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix ran the same weekend; the field was missing major stars including Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick, Ludvig Åberg, and Patrick Cantlay; TSA-style Secret Service screening was added for the final two rounds, discouraging attendance; and the Trump branding on the venue may have deterred some fans given Trump’s public support for LIV Golf. Official attendance figures have not been published.
When did the PGA Tour last play the Blue Monster at Doral before 2026?
The Blue Monster at Doral last hosted the PGA Tour in 2016, ten years before the 2026 Cadillac Championship. The course has hosted more than fifty events over its history.
Who won the 2026 Cadillac Championship?
Cameron Young won the 2026 Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral, going wire-to-wire and finishing six shots clear of Scottie Scheffler. Young earned $3.6 million from the $20 million purse and 700 FedEx Cup points.
Why did Rory McIlroy withdraw from the Cadillac Championship?
Rory McIlroy withdrew approximately one week before the event began. The specific reason stirred controversy, though full details were not publicly disclosed.
Is the Cadillac Championship a PGA Tour signature event?
Yes. The Cadillac Championship at Doral is a designated signature event on the PGA Tour schedule, carrying a larger purse and additional FedEx Cup points compared to standard tour events. The 2026 edition featured a $20 million purse, with $3.6 million going to the winner and 700 FedEx Cup points on offer.
Did the F1 Miami Grand Prix affect Cadillac Championship attendance?
The F1 Miami Grand Prix ran the same weekend and drew roughly 275,000 spectators. Some observers blame the overlap for the thin golf gallery. However, the Miami metro area has a population of over five million people, which makes the scheduling conflict an incomplete explanation on its own.
Clint is PGA-certified and was a Head Teaching Professional at one of Toronto's busiest golf academies. He was also featured on Canada's National Golf TV program, "Score Golf Canada," twice. He graduated with a degree in Golf Management from the College of the Desert in California and studied under Callaway's co-founder, Tony Manzoni. He has a handicap index of 6.2 and spends the winters near Oaxaca, Mexico, where he plays twice a month at the Club de Golf Vista Hermosa. He's written over 100 articles at GolfSpan since 2021. You can connect with Clint at LinkedIn, FB, his website, or Clintcpga@gmail.com.
