President Donald Trump‘s attendance at the 2026 Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral disrupted nearly every part of the tournament. Secret Service agents blocked PGA Tour players from entering their own clubhouse while airport-style security checkpoints discouraged fans from attending. His presence at his own course overshadowed a landmark event and sparked debate about whether a sitting president belongs at a professional golf tournament.
Trump arrived mid-round
Trump arrived at Trump National Doral on Sunday afternoon to watch the final round, making a low-key appearance at a PGA Tour event already under scrutiny for sparse crowds.
He reached the “Trump Suite” at around 12:15 p.m. local time with family members, including Kai Trump and Vanessa Trump. Notably absent was Tiger Woods, who did not attend after a March 2026 car crash in Florida and a subsequent arrest.
Trump appeared on camera during the Golf Channel broadcast, seated in a spectator suite alongside his son Eric Trump and Steve Witkoff, his foreign affairs envoy. CBS announcer Trevor Immelman noted that the president had dined with players on Saturday night.
The stop was part of a broader Florida swing that included remarks at The Villages retirement community on Friday and an appearance in West Palm Beach.
Secret service blocked players from entering clubhouse
Trump’s security detail created immediate problems for players. Cameron Young, who went on to win the title, said he was redirected by agents before his final round.
“I came out to go down to the side door where we’ve been coming in the clubhouse all week and kind of had two guys step together and say, ‘Hey, we’re not letting anybody through this way right now,’” Young said. “So I was just walking in towards the locker room toward dining and had to turn around and walked all the way around the clubhouse to get back to that door.”
He added that the disruption affected his routine: “There’s little things like that that’s obviously different with the President here, and it changed the rhythm of the day a little bit to start.”
Young told his own family to stay away
The security presence extended beyond the course. Young hesitated to have his wife, Kelsey, and their two children make the two-hour drive from Jupiter, Florida.
“I had kind of told my wife, maybe it’s not the best idea to stick the kids in the car for two hours here and two hours back with all the security with the president here and everything,” he said.
Kelsey eventually attended, arriving later in the day. “Really grateful that they did come down. I was really happy to see them at the end of a day like that,” Young added.
Trump was not even confirmed as attending
The scale of security stood out given that Trump’s attendance was never officially confirmed. Tournament officials issued an enhanced security notice for the final two rounds, fueling speculation that he would appear.
During Friday’s broadcast, commentators mentioned rumors of a “big plane” possibly landing on Saturday, further suggesting the president might attend.
Trump used tournament to push for PGA-LIV reunification
Trump also weighed in on golf’s future. Speaking from the Oval Office, the same day it was confirmed the Saudi Public Investment Fund would stop funding LIV Golf beyond 2026, he backed reunification.
“Well, I do,” he said when asked if PGA Tour events should welcome LIV players. “I’d love to see LIV. But I do believe that all of the golfers should be playing — the great golfers — should be playing against each other. I want to see Rory McIlroy playing Bryson DeChambeau. I want to see big Jon Rahm play Scottie Scheffler, who is so great.”
Any Republican that wants a future with Gen Z support better distance themselves from Trump.
He has failed them. https://t.co/FmVvpaDNLd
— Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@FmrRepMTG) April 24, 2026
He added, “There’s something nice about all of the players playing together. Now they’ll all be accepted by the tour… they’ll all be back on tour and it’ll be great.”
Trump also teased an upcoming LIV event at another property, “In two weeks, LIV is going to be at my course right here on the Potomac.”