Is a recession coming to Trump Doral?
Jordan Spieth? On Friday, he spoke numbers.
“That was one of the hardest holes I played on the PGA Tour today.”
Justin Rose? On Tuesday, he again talked about numbers.
“I had to ask my caddy how many balls we had left.”
And Jonathan Vegas on Tuesday? You know where this is going.
“You can do a big number on that hole.”
There are four players. Bogeys. Double bogeys. And beyond. Spieth, Rose and Vegas have been commenting on the 18th hole of Trump National Doral, and they may find common ground at the Cadillac Championship, a PGA Tour stop this week. The 486-yard par-4 was a bruiser, although that’s welcome news for those who like their golf not decided until the last stroke. A collapse may be coming.
How difficult was the finisher? Through three rounds, it was played to half par, making it Doral’s strongest hole in terms of stroke average. That was also the level last year, when 18 played .574 strokes over average during the LIV Golf event; and that was also the mark 10 years ago — the last time Doral hosted a PGA Tour tournament — when he played .425 strokes over par. As it stands after Saturday, Doral’s 18th will once again rank as the toughest hole to close on the PGA Tour this year. (The complete list is at the bottom of this article.)
Birds are impossible. Nine have been made this week, including Scottie Scheffler’s second entry into Sunday. But tunnel vision is necessary. Water flows along the entire left side of the hole, with palm trees swaying along the large right side. and the claustrophobia kicks in big from the tee box – balls traveling nearly 300 yards are crammed into an area about 25 yards wide, which might look like just a few blades of grass from three football fields away. (Big hitters, however, are rewarded with an extra fairway, but that requires a 320-plus pop.) The wind also seems to be constant, meaning the player will be able to target a lake or certain branches. In short, there is no real bailout; a big shot is needed. From there, the second shot clearly leans on the lie, although water and air still remain, and Scheffler said the green “has a ton of tone to it.”
Thoughts for the 18th this week had a theme.
It’s difficult, say the players.
Before the tournament, Vegas said: “At the end of the day, I make sure the hole is going to play par. At least, you know, 4.5 or something like that. So it’s a hole that you know if you bogey, you’re not going to kill yourself. Obviously you can make a big number on that hole. So you just have to attack that hole, or make it. It’s your week. what you can in that hole.
2026 Cadillac Championship tee times Sunday: Round 4 groups
By:
Kevin Cunningham
Said Rose before the tournament: “Yeah, I just played it 10 minutes ago and I had to ask my friend how many balls we had left. The wind wasn’t on the left today, which is like the hardest wind to play in because you can’t cover the left side so there’s some space — the fairway’s only about 15 yards into the open area where the trees are on the right side. It’s going to be a busy place with 70 guys coming in.” in that spirit way.
Said Adam Scott: “The fairway is one of the narrowest ways on the golf course, so there’s not a lot of room as that ball starts to travel through the air from left to right to catch the fairway. It’s a very difficult shot. If you’re on the fairway, it’s still a difficult second game and you’re left with water, but once you’re off the fairway, the problem is really, the trees are the problem. So a big hole to close championship golf because I need two good shots to be and a particular kind of law that I like very much, honesty.
At least for Scott at that time, the challenge was welcome, the power of a large amount must be discarded.
How the 18 holes played out this year on the PGA Tour
Here’s a look at how the 18 holes played out this year on the PGA Tour:
-Sony Open, Waialae Country Club 546-yard par-5: second easiest hole of the week, 4.429 strokes
-American Express, Pete Dye Stadium Course 439-yard par-4: tied for third most difficult hole of fourth round (first three rounds split between three courses), 4.068 strokes
-Farmers Insurance Open, Torrey Pines South Course, 544-yard par-5: easy second hole of fourth round (first two rounds split between two courses), 4.541 strokes
-WM Phoenix Open, TPC Scottsdale, 442-yard par-4: 11th-hardest hole of the week, 4.010 strokes
-AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Pebble Beach Golf Links, 528-yard par-5: easiest third hole of fourth round (first two rounds split between two courses), 4.563 strokes
-Genesis Invitational, Riviera Country Club, 501-yard par-4: second hardest hole of the week, 4.142 strokes
-Cognizant Classic, PGA National Champion Course, 592-yard par-5: third easiest hole of the week, 4.678 strokes
-Arnold Palmer Invitational, Bay Hill Club & Lodge, 458-yard par-4: tough hole of the week, 4.270 strokes
– Puerto Rico Open, Grand Reserve Golf Club, 450 yards par-4: difficult 11th hole of the week, 3.944 strokes
-Players Championship, TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course, 462-yard par-4: hardest hole of the week, 4.338 strokes
-Valspar Championship, Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club, 445-yard par-4: hardest seventh hole of the week, 4.127 strokes
-Texas Children’s Houston Open, Memorial Park Golf Course, 503-yard par-4: 10th-hardest hole of the week, 3.988 strokes
-Valero Texas Open, TPC San Antonio, 591-yard par-5: easiest fourth hole of the week, 4.831 strokes
-Masters, Augusta National Golf Club, 465-yard par-4: hardest fifth hole of the week, 4.214 strokes
-RBC Heritage, Harbor Town Golf Links, 478-yard par-4: tough hole of the week, 4.122 strokes
-Zurich Classic (team event), TPC Louisiana, 585-yard par-5, third easiest hole of the week, 4.358 strokes
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