The mess that is the Honda Classic is not behind us yet but the tour will not slow down. On tap this week is the WGC-Cadillac Championship in Miami Florida. The Tournament Players Club at Trump Doral, dubbed the “Blue Monster,” will be the course the PGA Tour will call home this week. In 2014, after the $200 million redesign, this was the toughest course outside of a major championship.
Since the Cadillac Championship came to Doral in 2007, some of golf’s biggest names have tasted victory in this event. The short list includes the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, and Justin Rose. When you think of Doral and a weekend of top tier golf it doesn’t get much better outside of Augusta. There is no cut this weekend which is a nice (or sad if you are playing horrible) change for the players. The entire top-50 in the World Golf Rankings is here and ready to play.
The Blue Monster actually lived up to its name after the redesign with the seventh, 14th and 18th finishing in the top-30 hardest on tour in 2014. The course boasts one of the toughest holes on tour and one of Golf Magazines Top-100 Holes in the World, the 18th. This 476 yard, par-4 has water down the entire left side which is a factor on the monster par four finisher, one of the best the players will play all year. Drama is built in for free with the redesign.
Dates: March 5 -8 2015
Course: Trump National Doral
Stats: Par 72, 7,528 yards
Television Coverage (Times):
Thursday: Golf Channel 1:00 – 6:00 PM EST
Friday: Golf Channel 1:00 – 6:00 PM EST
Saturday: Golf Channel 3:00 – 5:00 PM EST, NBC 3:00 -6:00 PM EST
Sunday: Golf Channel 3:00 – 6:00 PM EST, NBC 3:00 – 7:00 PM EST
Purse: $9.25 million total purse, $1.572 million winner share
World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship Top Picks
The strongest field of the year is in town and that makes things even more challenging when attempting to predict a 2015 WGC-Cadillac Championship winner. With the entire top-50 in the World Golf Rankings pegging a tee that just amps things up a bit. Let’s get to the predictions and picks for the 2015 Cadillac Classic.
Player | Remarks |
Patrick Reed | The Honda Classic is not over at the time of this writing but we could be talking about Reed entering this week off a victory. Regardless, he won the Cadillac Championship last year and will be here to defend. He has already won once this year at the Tournament of Champions and appears to be on form and ready to fire. On an aside, he joined a special group earlier this year with his third win at such a young age joining Tiger, Sergio, Rory and Phil (how about that foursome). |
Dustin Johnson | It looks like the self-imposed leave of absence was the right thing after all until the Honda Classic. But in a twisted way, he gets to rest and avoid Monday golf and a quick turn for the Cadillac. Since returning, he knocked off the rust and then finished fourth at Pebble Beach and lost a playoff two weeks ago. In his last four starts at the Cadillac, Johnson finished second in 2011 and tied for fourth last year at the redesigned track. He is clearly a win candidate at the revamped Doral where his length will come into play. Johnson can be predicted as a logical win pick this week at the WGC-Cadillac Championship. |
Bubba Watson | He has played in four official events in the 2015 season and already has a runner-up finish at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and won the WGC- HSBC Champions. Throw in a top-15 last out at the Northern Trust and it is easy to say the lefty is ready to roll. He also gets the benefit of rest and regular schedule for this week. In his last three starts at the Cadillac he has two runner-up finishes including last year. |

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