Topline
The PGA Tour will host an event at Trump’s Miami-area golf course for the first time since 2016—repairing its relationship with the president since the tour cut ties with him in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
General view of Trump Doral golf course, during LIV Golf Miami on April 06, 2025, at Trump National Doral in Doral, FL. (Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Key Facts
The Trump organization announced Tuesday Trump Doral will host the Miami Championship April 30-May 3 next year, offering a $20 million purse.
Trump and the PGA were at war after it severed ties with Trump and moved the PGA Championship out of his Bedminster, New Jersey, club days after the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots, with then-PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh calling it a “political situation not of our making.”
Trump’s relationship with the tour has been rocky since it canceled an event at Trump’s Los Angeles golf club in 2015 following controversial remarks he made about Mexican immigrants.
The feud escalated in 2022 when Trump partnered with the Saudi-backed LIV tour, as Trump accused the tour of “taking advantage of the players for many years.”
Tangent
LIV and the PGA announced a merger in 2023 that was praised by Trump, who said a year earlier he believed the deal was “inevitable.” The deal has yet to come to fruition, however, and the tours have separate schedules for the 2026 season.
Key Background
Trump and LIV Golf forged a partnership in 2022 upon the league’s inception. The creation of LIV launched an unprecedented direct rival with the PGA and lured several top golfers away from the PGA Tour, with Trump encouraging all golfers to join the tour, fueling his fight with the PGA. Trump’s golf clubs have hosted LIV events every year since, and LIV is set to return to Trump National Golf Club in Virginia for an event next year. LIV has been heavily criticized for its ties to the Saudi government and alleged “sportswashing” to distract from the regime’s human rights record. The Trump family’s business portfolio has extensive Saudi ties—the Saudis purchased several floors in his Manhattan apartment building during his first term, and the Trump Organization is developing a Trump Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Further Reading
LIV Golf Scores TV Deal With Fox Sports—As Trump-Linked, Saudi-Backed League Goes Mainstream (Forbes)
LIV Golf Returning To Trump Resort In Miami—Boosting Trump’s Ties With Golf Tour (Forbes)
How The PGA-LIV Golf Deal Will Impact Donald Trump—Or At Least Stroke His Ego (Forbes)
Trump, Saudis Join Forces To Stick It To The PGA (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2025/08/19/trump-doral-hosting-pga-tour-first-time-since-trump-became-president/
