Our resident winner-picker on who he likes at Doral—plus—top 10 and 20 picks.The PGA TOUR returns to Trump National Doral for the first time since 2016—the WGC Cadillac Championship which was won by Adam Scott. The course has hosted a variety of LIV events since then including two team championships and two regular events on that circuit. So despite not seeing the PGA TOUR play at the venue in a decade, we do have some other data points to increase the sample size.
As usual, the “Blue Monster” is likely to live up to its name. The course is LONG and I capitalized that for emphasis. It’ll stretch over 7,700 yards as a par-72 with a large chunk of that yardage coming on the par-5s. The average par-5 will play 611 yards which is going to be the second longest set of par-5s on TOUR behind only Oakmont last year for the U.S. Open.
Honestly, scoring might look pretty reminiscent of a U.S. Open with a few shots under par being a great score each day. Marc Leishman is the most recent winner at Doral, where he won LIV Miami at 6-under last year across three rounds. There were only six players under par for the event. Here are a few players who should set-up well for this week.
His name appears in this column often, and for good reason. Since the start of 2026, he’s gained +1.63 strokes per round which is the third best mark of anyone in this field. He’s sporting a 50% top-10 rate in his eight starts this year and has THE PLAYERS Championship victory as his statement moment. He’s dominant off-the-tee, ranking inside the top 25 in both distance and accuracy which will be critical around Doral. Despite his elite level driving, he’s not a one-dimensional player. He’s gaining +0.55 strokes on approach and he’s positive in both short-game categories. This is a stellar spot for him to continue his fantastic run of golf.
We are seeing the maturation process of Min Woo Lee happen right before our eyes. For the year, he’s gaining +1.38 strokes per round which would be the second best year of his career but, by far, his best year since becoming a full-time PGA TOUR player. His previous best, 2023, was played across the DP World Tour, Asian Tour and the PGA TOUR.
For the first time in his career, Min Woo Lee is a positive player in all four major strokes gained categories and he’s contended at a variety of venues. His three top-10s this year are at Pebble Beach, Bay Hill, and Memorial Park which further substantiates the claim that his game is evolving. Doral should be on the upper end of courses that fit his game.
Rosey refuses to take calls from Father Time and is coming off yet another great performance – a T3 at the Masters. He’s significantly improved his club speed over the past few years and he’s accurate enough to get around Doral without disaster. Speaking of Doral, he’s one of the few players in this field with substantial history at the venue. Rose has teed it up ten times at the Blue Monster which was highlighted by his win here in 2012.
Despite missing out on qualification for the Masters, Fowler has had a great season coming off a T8 at the RBC Heritage which marked his fifth top-20 finish of the year. The most valuable attribute for Fowler this week will be his driving accuracy, where he ranks 19th on TOUR. There is so much trouble lurking off-the-tees at Doral that this could be a significant separator. He’s also back to being a high-end putter which is something that he lost for a few years. The game is trending and this feels like it’ll be a proper set-up to match his skill-sets.
His T52 finish at Harbour Town was one of his worst finishes of the year, but it makes sense! Yellamaraju was certainly hemmed in off-the-tee at Harbour Town and unable to tap into his driving prowess. That’ll change this week at Doral. He’s sporting a six event streak of gaining strokes on approach and he’s produced four top-20 finishes during that run. He was a late addition to the Zurich Classic being paired alongside Ryan Gerard where they finished 34th.
It’s been a rocky return to golfer for Im who dealt with a wrist injury that delayed his 2026 campaign. He’s only played six events with mixed results – two missed cuts but a T4 at the Valspar Championship. Im has always thrived in Florida where precision and power are both equally critical to avoiding disaster. He’s shown flashes of greatness in all facets of his game but has yet to put all the pieces together. I’m trying to be early on Sungjae and am catching him at a solid price.
The last time Woodland lost strokes off-the-tee was the Scottish Open of last year, 13 measured starts ago. He’s elite with the driving and the rest of his game has taken a massive step forward. Over his last 12 rounds alone, he’s gained +14.0 strokes on approach and another +11.8 with the putter. He’s firing on all cylinders and now heads to a course that should reward his strengths.