The 5th Signature event on the PGA Tour, The Cadillac Championship, WP’s birthday
Trump National Doral, the Blue Monster course, aptly named, will host the 5th Signature event of the PGA Tour season Thursday as 72 tour players tee it up in Miami for the Cadillac Championship. This will be the 56th time the tournament will be played at Doral. It was played as the Doral Open from 1962-2006, and as the WGC Cadillac from 2007-2016. It took a hiatus from a while after some controversy with President Trump. But it’s back now and ready to roll.
Leading the field is Scottie Scheffler, as Matt’ Fitzie” Fitzpatrick, as Bama Golf likes to call him, is taking the week off after winning three of the last four events he’s entered, which includes the Valspar Championship, the RBC Heritage, the fourth Signature event this year, good for a $3.6 million first place check, and last week at TPC Louisiana in the Zurich Classic playing with his brother Alex, who, thanks to big brother hitting a bunker shot to a foot on the par 5 18th for birdie, earned his tour card and is in the field this week.
Per the Trump National Golf Club website, there are many terrific and intensely challenging holes on this course sand and water all over the track. The 15th hole is a 157 yard, Par 3 with a peninsula green demanding the player to land it safely over the water and accurately onto the green with water on all four sides of the green. With the wind playing a role this week, 15 could be somewhat a bear for the players. Hole 16 is a 370 yard, Par 4, that is drivable for the longest hitters, Scheffler being one of them, but there are four bunkers surrounding the green, so the best play may be to hit a fairway wood or a 4 or 5 iron and play for birdie. Hole 17 is a 458 yard, par 4, it doglegs left to right, so a good drive carries the right hand fairway bunker and gives the player an optimal second shot. Could be a birdieable hole, but with the wind coming up this week/weekend, maybe not. I want to go back one more hole before describing the terrifically challenging 18th at the Blue Monster. The 12th hole is a 667 yard, par 5 with the wind definitely impacting how the players navigate this hole. Several bunkers align the 12th. There is one on the right side of the fairway, one on the left, and the green is heavily bunkered with five surrounding it. These guys are the best, so they can handle these holes better than anybody in the world, so it may not be as daunting as it sounds to a weekend player. But with the wind this week, it may very well be. The 18th is a 473 yard, par 4 and is considered one of the toughest holes on the PGA Tour. Water runs all along the left side of the hole, so hitting it to the right side of the fairway is a must. Getting in the right rough and dealing with those palm trees is no bargain, so the player will need to keep it in the short grass. The bermuda rough will be at 3 inches, so the player will have to probably chip it out of the rough on 18 and try to get up and down for par. Any slight draw, and the player is “dead in the water.”
The course is playing 7,739 yards and is a stock par 72. At 7,739, according to Rob Bolton of PGA Tour.com, the Blue Monster is the second longest course on tour this year only 26 yards shorter than Torrey Pines. The fellas will be tested.
The bermuda greens will be stimping at 12, so decent speed, but, as of now, the wind will be a major factor. Dick Wilson designed the course in 1962. He’s known for several other courses, including Bay Hill in 1961, and The Greenbriar. Gil Hanse redesigned the course in 2013-14. Hanse also redid Olympic Club in San Francisco, Southern Hills in Tulsa, and Winged Foot in New York. All of three of those courses are consistent major venues.
Weather
Thursday: Sunny, 85, winds SSW at 10-20 MPH.
Friday: Partly sunny, 86, winds SSE 10-15.
Saturday: Sunny, 88, Winds, S 15-25.
Sunday, not so great, as of today, but could change. T-storms likely, 82. 90% chance of t-storms. Winds NNE 10-15. So, the wind will totally change direction on Sunday.
Challenging wind conditions are in store. I know the players are hoping Sunday won’t be an inclement day. Florida has intermittent spurts of t-storms and they can pass through quickly. Remains to be seen.
TV Coverage
Thursday-Friday: 2-6 P.M. CT, 3-7 ET, Golf Channel.
Saturday-Sunday: 11 A.M.-2 P.M. CT/ 12-3 ET, GC; 2-5 P.M. CT/3-6 ET, CBS, Paramount+.
Odds
Scheffler: 3/1; Cam Young: 12/1; Morikawa, 20/1; Chris Gotterup, 25/1; Tommy Fleetwood, 27/1; Min Woo Lee: 27/1; Russell Henley: 27/1; Sam Burns, 27/1; Jake Knapp, 30/1; Si Woo Kim, 33/1; Hideki, 33/1; Adam Scott, 35/1; Maverick McNealy, 35/1; Vik Hovland, 35/1; Kurt Kitayama, 40/1; Jacob Bridgeman, 40/1; Justin Rose, 40/1; Nicolai Hojgard, 40/1; Harris English, 40/1; Michael Thorbjornsen, 40/1; Jordan Spieth, 50/1; Akshay Bhatia, 50/1; Gary Woodland, 50/1: Sepp Straka, 55/1; J.J. Spaun, 60/1; Shane Lowry, 70/1; Jason Day, 70/1; Justin Thomas 70/1.
White’s World’s winner
I’m going to kind of go out on a limb here and take the 36 year old from Valdosta, Georgia (great high school football country), by way of the University of Georgia, and now living in Sea Island. He finished tied for 4th at the RBC Heritage two weeks ago, and played pretty solidly at Augusta National finishing tied for 30th at one under. He’s won 5 times on tour. He won the 2013 Fed Ex St. Jude Classic in Memphis at TPC Southwind, the 2017 OHL Classic at Mayakoba in Mexico, the 2021 Sentry of Champions in Hawaii, the 2021 Travelers Championship, the final Signature event this season, the 8th one, and he won the 2025 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey. He’s an excellent putter as he is 8th on tour in Strokes Gained: Putting. He putted very well at Harbour Town two weeks ago at the RBC Heritage. Give me:
Harris English
Sleeper
I’ll take the guy who ate at Craft’s/ 280 a few nights ago. He was with his family, so I don’t think he made it to the Fennec. Derrick doin work.
Sepp Straka
‘
And Last, but most importantly…
Today is Walter “WP” Pittman’s 35th? birthday. Just joshin’ Walter. You’re better at your age than many of these early to mid 30 somethings are at their’s. Hope you’re having a phenomenal day. The Blog appreciates you.
Saturday
The 152nd running of the Kentucky Derby: Preview/Prediction.
i
