2026 Cadillac Championship Field<\/h2>\n\n- Field: 72 Players<\/li>\n
- Cut: NO CUT<\/li>\n
- First Tee Time: Thursday, April 30<\/li>\n
- Defending Champion: Adam Scott<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
SUB TO FREE PME NEWSLETTER TO GET ALL ARTICLES AND CHEATSHEETS EARLY + EXTRA INFO & BREAKING NEWS<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\nI\u2019m not necessarily opposed to seeing some of the top players skip some signature events. Seeing the exact same fields square off eight times a year really limited the impact of Majors and THE PLAYERS. But I know the whole point of these is to get the best players on the course together as much as possible, so seeing Rory McIlroy<\/a><\/a><\/a>, Matt Fitzpatrick<\/a><\/a><\/a>, Xander Schauffele<\/a><\/a><\/a>, Robert MacIntyre<\/a><\/a><\/a>, and Ludvig Aberg<\/a><\/a><\/a> take a bye week probably isn\u2019t something the TOUR wanted. Well, maybe they\u2019re happy Fitz is taking the week off to give someone else a chance.<\/p>\nThis is the PGA Tour\u2019s fault, though. Some will make the case that they aren\u2019t playing because it\u2019s at TRUMP DORAL, but those people are just making lazy arguments for clicks. The real reason is this abhorrent scheduling. Going Masters\/Heritage (sig)\/Zurich\/Cadillac (sig)\/Truist (sig)\/PGA Championship simply means the very top-end players don\u2019t want to wear themselves out before a Major. Don\u2019t expect to see Scottie Scheffler<\/a><\/a><\/a> and a slew of others from the field this week at Quail Hollow in seven days’ time either.<\/p>\n2026 Cadillac Championship KEY STATS<\/h3>\n\n- Strokes Gained: Ball Striking<\/li>\n
- Driving Distance<\/li>\n
- Stokes Gained: Long, Difficult Courses<\/li>\n
- Approach 175+<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Mayo\u2019s Key Stat Rankings Powered by the Rabbit Hole at Betsperts Golf<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!sqbI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc50858cd-f873-4a36-859d-58613d5a95df_722x1208.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n2026 Cadillac Championship COURSE<\/h3>\n\n- Trump National Doral (Blue Monster)<\/li>\n
- Par: 72<\/li>\n
- Yardage: 7,739<\/li>\n
- Greens: TifEagle Bermuda<\/li>\n
- Average Green Size: 7,200 sq. ft.<\/li>\n
- Number of Sand Bunkers: 110<\/li>\n
- Number of Holes Water is in Play: 10<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Par 3\u2019s (4): Average Distance – 204 yards<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- –> 1 under 200 yards (155), 3 over 200 yards<\/li>\n
- In 2016, 14 of the top 16 finishers gained ground on the Par 3\u2019s<\/li>\n
- 2016 Scott: Played #15 at -2 for the week, was +1 on the other Par 3\u2019s<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Par 4\u2019s (10): Average Distance – 437 yards<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- –> 1 under 400 yards (345), 9 over 400 yards (3 over 470)<\/li>\n
- Driver usage sits at 60.2% for this course (PGA: 68.9%) because the accuracy shrinks (drive accuracy here is 52%, PGA: 60.5%)<\/li>\n
- 2016 Scott: 2 front-9 double bogeys on Sunday (both Par 4\u2019s)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Par 5\u2019s (4): Average Distance – 590 yards<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- In 2016, the top-3 Par 5 scorers for the week finished 1-2-3 on the final leaderboard (Scott, Watson, and McIlroy)<\/li>\n
- 2016 Scott: Birdied all 4 on Sunday after settling for par on 3 of 4 Saturday<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
2026 Cadillac Championship PAST WINNERS<\/h3>\n\n- 2025: Marc Leishman<\/a><\/a><\/a> -6 (LIV)<\/li>\n
- 2024: Dean Burmester<\/a><\/a><\/a> -11 (LIV)<\/li>\n
- 2016: Adam Scott<\/a><\/a><\/a> -12<\/li>\n
- 2015: Dustin Johnson<\/a><\/a><\/a> -9<\/li>\n
- 2014: Patrick Reed<\/a><\/a><\/a> -4<\/li>\n
- 2013: Tiger Woods<\/a><\/a><\/a> -19<\/li>\n
- 2012: Justin Rose<\/a><\/a><\/a> -16<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
PAST WINNER NOTES<\/strong><\/p>\n2016: Adam Scott<\/a><\/a><\/a> (+1200, T-3rd favorite) beats Bubba Watson<\/a><\/a><\/a> by 1 stroke<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Scott was the top approach golfer of the week; 7 of the top 9 finishers picked up over 3 strokes on approach for the week<\/li>\n
- 9 of the top 10 finishers gained Prox150-175 (Scott was 3rd best in this range for the week)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
2015: Dustin Johnson<\/a><\/a><\/a> (+2000, T-5th favorite) beats JB Holmes by 1 stroke<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Johnson was 5 behind Holmes entering Sunday (shoots a 69 to Holmes\u2019 75)<\/li>\n
- The top 6 finishers all gained in distance with 3 of them losing fairways to the field<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
2014: Patrick Reed<\/a><\/a><\/a> (+8000) beats Bubba Watson<\/a><\/a><\/a> and Jamie Donaldson<\/a><\/a><\/a> by 1 stroke<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- 14 of the top 15 finishers gained strokes putting (6 of the top 8 gained putting from 25+ feet)<\/li>\n
- 6 of the top 8 finishers lost Prox 200+<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
FIRST ROUND<\/strong><\/p>\n(Tee times were very bunched in the past with late morning tee times, so there hasn\u2019t been anything close to an even split golfer-wise in terms of AM opportunities)<\/p>\n
2016<\/p>\n
\n- 66 – Scott Piercy<\/a><\/a><\/a> (AM) and Marcus Fraser<\/a><\/a><\/a> (PM, last group)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
2015<\/p>\n
\n- 62 – JB Holmes (PM)<\/li>\n
- –> 4 clear of Ryan Moore<\/a><\/a><\/a> and 6 clear of anyone else<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
2014<\/p>\n
\n- 68 – Patrick Reed<\/a><\/a><\/a> (PM)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
2026 Cadillac Championship Notes<\/h3>\n
The Blue Monster at Doral is hosting a PGA event for the first time since 2016. Adam Scott<\/a><\/a><\/a> held off Bubba Watson<\/a><\/a><\/a> for the win that year. The top five on the leaderboard that season were all Masters champions, too.\u00a0Danny Willett<\/a><\/span><\/a> would don his green jacket three weeks after this tournament, while Rory would have to wait a while, but he has a pair in his collection now.<\/span>\u00a0In fact, the last four winners of this event are all Masters winners (Scott, Dustin Johnson<\/a><\/a><\/a>, Patrick Reed<\/a><\/a><\/a>, and Tiger Woods<\/a><\/a><\/a>), and the 2012 champ at Doral, Justin Rose<\/a><\/a><\/a>, may as well be an honorary Augusta champ with his resume.<\/p>\nThis wasn\u2019t the last time Doral has been used in a competitive setup, however. For each of the past four years, LIV played Doral. The first two years were the team championship event, and the last two were a regular tournament. Marc Leishman<\/a><\/a><\/a> and Dean Burmester<\/a><\/a><\/a> were the two individual LIV winners. And this year’s scorecard is almost exactly the same as the LIV events’.<\/p>\nIn 2013, the Blue Monster was reshaped by famous golf architect Gil Hanse to make it even longer, with even more water and bunkers. The course is over 200 yards longer than when it last played on the PGA TOUR. There are deep bunkers everywhere, shaved-off areas greenside that can funnel into sticky Bermuda grass, super-skinny fairways, and massive greens. It\u2019s those massive greens that likely lead to so many players having crossover success between here and Augusta. Lag putting is an essential component of contention at both. Along with being, you know, one of the best players in the world. It\u2019s shocking that Rory, Xander, and especially Ludvig took this week off.<\/p>\n
A total of 123 eagles had been recorded at the opening hole, but no eagles were recorded at No. 1 the first year after Gil Hanse\u2019s redesign. A few were made in 2016, and while it remains the easiest hole to par on the course, its lengthening increased the scoring average substantially.<\/p>\n
The rough isn\u2019t penal, but the wrong bounce can get stuck behind a palm tree. The fairway bunkers on most holes aren\u2019t necessarily a bad spot. Off the tee, plus distance means you can shorten a bunch of holes by going over the water, leading to shorter wedge shots, but it also brings in wet mishits, which will blow up a scorecard. Think of it as a longer Bay Hill, with easier rough but far more difficult greenside bunkers.<\/p>\n
Hole 18 remains THEE difficult hole. It\u2019s one of the most difficult in the world. Hole 16 should be set up to be drivable on some of the rounds.<\/p>\n
Expect some really bad scores from a few players. So much water can lead to a slew of crooked numbers. There were only four bogey-free rounds during the 2016 event. If the wind picks up at all, you\u2019ll likely be looking at a single-digit winner.<\/p>\n
For reference, Steven Bowditch<\/a><\/a><\/a>, who was a Presidents Cup International Team member the previous year, produced four rounds in the 80s (81-80-80-84). The last time a player shot four rounds in the 80s on the PGA TOUR was Mike Dunaway at the 1983 Panasonic Las Vegas Pro-Celebrity Classic. But that was a 90-hole event, and Dunaway did not play in the fifth and final round. At the 1962 Doral Open, two players, Robert Ornitz and Leo Fenster, both shot all four rounds in the 80s.<\/p>\nLong, difficult courses are the comps if you\u2019re looking. Which should result in a major-level winner this week. Here are the best players, per round, between Augusta, Torrey Pines (South), Riviera, Quail Hollow, and Bay Hill over the past three years.<\/p>\n
GET RESEARCH TOOLS, CUSTOM STATS, SIMS AT THE RABBIT HOLE<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!VVus!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F99ecb7a1-0afa-4509-b1c4-70f9812d3367_2282x1214.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n2026 Cadillac Championship Picks<\/h3>\n
Hideki Matsuyama<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/em><\/strong> \u2014 Hideki\u2019s number has drifted enough where gambling on his driver being any good is worth it. His approach play remains elite, he\u2019s still one of the best in the world around the greens (especially off tight surfaces), and his putter has been remarkably good in 2026. As a bonus, he\u2019s third in the field in approach inside 15-feet from 200+ yards, an approach bucket which is over-indexed this week. Just pray he stays dry off the tee.<\/p>\nChris Gotterup<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/em><\/strong> \u2014 He was pretty lousy at Heritage until he went scorched earth in the final round. Always good when the last time on the course was a massive positive after some terrible play. He\u2019s plenty long, good enough with his irons, and is generally quite good from greenside. Plus, he\u2019s one of, if not THEE best, wind player on TOUR right now. While incredibly difficult, Doral can be lit up with a good round, which can mask a lot of mistakes from mediocre days. Something that Gotterup has done a lot in 2026. He\u2019s one of five players to gain 5+ strokes on the field in over 10% of his rounds\u2026<\/p>\nGET RESEARCH TOOLS, CUSTOM STATS, SIMS AT THE RABBIT HOLE<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!CRQ0!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a0fe9fb-3e4c-4b39-a797-a2703d517593_2488x1212.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pat Mayo takes a deep dive into tournament and player stats with the Rabbit Hole Tool from Betsperts Golf making his early 2026 Cadillac Championship Picks, highlighting stats that matter inside the model, and previewing the course.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":9326,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":""},"bs_types":[14,15],"bs_tags":[169,29,73],"class_list":["post-17535","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","bs_type-betting","bs_type-fantasy","bs_tag-cadillac-championship","bs_tag-golf-betting","bs_tag-golf-dfs"],"acf":false,"featured_image":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/gettyimages-902086302-612x612-1.jpg","tags_list":[{"id":169,"name":"Cadillac Championship","slug":"cadillac-championship"},{"id":29,"name":"Golf Betting","slug":"golf-betting"},{"id":73,"name":"Golf DFS","slug":"golf-dfs"}],"types_list":[{"id":14,"name":"Betting"},{"id":15,"name":"Fantasy"}],"bs_author":{"name":"Pat Mayo","profile_image":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-17-163255-150x150.png"},"bs_term_name":null,"is_paid":"false","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/17535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"bs_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bs_types?post=17535"},{"taxonomy":"bs_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bs_tags?post=17535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
SUB TO FREE PME NEWSLETTER TO GET ALL ARTICLES AND CHEATSHEETS EARLY + EXTRA INFO & BREAKING NEWS<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\nI\u2019m not necessarily opposed to seeing some of the top players skip some signature events. Seeing the exact same fields square off eight times a year really limited the impact of Majors and THE PLAYERS. But I know the whole point of these is to get the best players on the course together as much as possible, so seeing Rory McIlroy<\/a><\/a><\/a>, Matt Fitzpatrick<\/a><\/a><\/a>, Xander Schauffele<\/a><\/a><\/a>, Robert MacIntyre<\/a><\/a><\/a>, and Ludvig Aberg<\/a><\/a><\/a> take a bye week probably isn\u2019t something the TOUR wanted. Well, maybe they\u2019re happy Fitz is taking the week off to give someone else a chance.<\/p>\nThis is the PGA Tour\u2019s fault, though. Some will make the case that they aren\u2019t playing because it\u2019s at TRUMP DORAL, but those people are just making lazy arguments for clicks. The real reason is this abhorrent scheduling. Going Masters\/Heritage (sig)\/Zurich\/Cadillac (sig)\/Truist (sig)\/PGA Championship simply means the very top-end players don\u2019t want to wear themselves out before a Major. Don\u2019t expect to see Scottie Scheffler<\/a><\/a><\/a> and a slew of others from the field this week at Quail Hollow in seven days’ time either.<\/p>\n2026 Cadillac Championship KEY STATS<\/h3>\n\n- Strokes Gained: Ball Striking<\/li>\n
- Driving Distance<\/li>\n
- Stokes Gained: Long, Difficult Courses<\/li>\n
- Approach 175+<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Mayo\u2019s Key Stat Rankings Powered by the Rabbit Hole at Betsperts Golf<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n2026 Cadillac Championship COURSE<\/h3>\n\n- Trump National Doral (Blue Monster)<\/li>\n
- Par: 72<\/li>\n
- Yardage: 7,739<\/li>\n
- Greens: TifEagle Bermuda<\/li>\n
- Average Green Size: 7,200 sq. ft.<\/li>\n
- Number of Sand Bunkers: 110<\/li>\n
- Number of Holes Water is in Play: 10<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Par 3\u2019s (4): Average Distance – 204 yards<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- –> 1 under 200 yards (155), 3 over 200 yards<\/li>\n
- In 2016, 14 of the top 16 finishers gained ground on the Par 3\u2019s<\/li>\n
- 2016 Scott: Played #15 at -2 for the week, was +1 on the other Par 3\u2019s<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Par 4\u2019s (10): Average Distance – 437 yards<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- –> 1 under 400 yards (345), 9 over 400 yards (3 over 470)<\/li>\n
- Driver usage sits at 60.2% for this course (PGA: 68.9%) because the accuracy shrinks (drive accuracy here is 52%, PGA: 60.5%)<\/li>\n
- 2016 Scott: 2 front-9 double bogeys on Sunday (both Par 4\u2019s)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Par 5\u2019s (4): Average Distance – 590 yards<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- In 2016, the top-3 Par 5 scorers for the week finished 1-2-3 on the final leaderboard (Scott, Watson, and McIlroy)<\/li>\n
- 2016 Scott: Birdied all 4 on Sunday after settling for par on 3 of 4 Saturday<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
2026 Cadillac Championship PAST WINNERS<\/h3>\n\n- 2025: Marc Leishman<\/a><\/a><\/a> -6 (LIV)<\/li>\n
- 2024: Dean Burmester<\/a><\/a><\/a> -11 (LIV)<\/li>\n
- 2016: Adam Scott<\/a><\/a><\/a> -12<\/li>\n
- 2015: Dustin Johnson<\/a><\/a><\/a> -9<\/li>\n
- 2014: Patrick Reed<\/a><\/a><\/a> -4<\/li>\n
- 2013: Tiger Woods<\/a><\/a><\/a> -19<\/li>\n
- 2012: Justin Rose<\/a><\/a><\/a> -16<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
PAST WINNER NOTES<\/strong><\/p>\n2016: Adam Scott<\/a><\/a><\/a> (+1200, T-3rd favorite) beats Bubba Watson<\/a><\/a><\/a> by 1 stroke<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Scott was the top approach golfer of the week; 7 of the top 9 finishers picked up over 3 strokes on approach for the week<\/li>\n
- 9 of the top 10 finishers gained Prox150-175 (Scott was 3rd best in this range for the week)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
2015: Dustin Johnson<\/a><\/a><\/a> (+2000, T-5th favorite) beats JB Holmes by 1 stroke<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Johnson was 5 behind Holmes entering Sunday (shoots a 69 to Holmes\u2019 75)<\/li>\n
- The top 6 finishers all gained in distance with 3 of them losing fairways to the field<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
2014: Patrick Reed<\/a><\/a><\/a> (+8000) beats Bubba Watson<\/a><\/a><\/a> and Jamie Donaldson<\/a><\/a><\/a> by 1 stroke<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- 14 of the top 15 finishers gained strokes putting (6 of the top 8 gained putting from 25+ feet)<\/li>\n
- 6 of the top 8 finishers lost Prox 200+<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
FIRST ROUND<\/strong><\/p>\n(Tee times were very bunched in the past with late morning tee times, so there hasn\u2019t been anything close to an even split golfer-wise in terms of AM opportunities)<\/p>\n
2016<\/p>\n
\n- 66 – Scott Piercy<\/a><\/a><\/a> (AM) and Marcus Fraser<\/a><\/a><\/a> (PM, last group)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
2015<\/p>\n
\n- 62 – JB Holmes (PM)<\/li>\n
- –> 4 clear of Ryan Moore<\/a><\/a><\/a> and 6 clear of anyone else<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
2014<\/p>\n
\n- 68 – Patrick Reed<\/a><\/a><\/a> (PM)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
2026 Cadillac Championship Notes<\/h3>\n
The Blue Monster at Doral is hosting a PGA event for the first time since 2016. Adam Scott<\/a><\/a><\/a> held off Bubba Watson<\/a><\/a><\/a> for the win that year. The top five on the leaderboard that season were all Masters champions, too.\u00a0Danny Willett<\/a><\/span><\/a> would don his green jacket three weeks after this tournament, while Rory would have to wait a while, but he has a pair in his collection now.<\/span>\u00a0In fact, the last four winners of this event are all Masters winners (Scott, Dustin Johnson<\/a><\/a><\/a>, Patrick Reed<\/a><\/a><\/a>, and Tiger Woods<\/a><\/a><\/a>), and the 2012 champ at Doral, Justin Rose<\/a><\/a><\/a>, may as well be an honorary Augusta champ with his resume.<\/p>\nThis wasn\u2019t the last time Doral has been used in a competitive setup, however. For each of the past four years, LIV played Doral. The first two years were the team championship event, and the last two were a regular tournament. Marc Leishman<\/a><\/a><\/a> and Dean Burmester<\/a><\/a><\/a> were the two individual LIV winners. And this year’s scorecard is almost exactly the same as the LIV events’.<\/p>\nIn 2013, the Blue Monster was reshaped by famous golf architect Gil Hanse to make it even longer, with even more water and bunkers. The course is over 200 yards longer than when it last played on the PGA TOUR. There are deep bunkers everywhere, shaved-off areas greenside that can funnel into sticky Bermuda grass, super-skinny fairways, and massive greens. It\u2019s those massive greens that likely lead to so many players having crossover success between here and Augusta. Lag putting is an essential component of contention at both. Along with being, you know, one of the best players in the world. It\u2019s shocking that Rory, Xander, and especially Ludvig took this week off.<\/p>\n
A total of 123 eagles had been recorded at the opening hole, but no eagles were recorded at No. 1 the first year after Gil Hanse\u2019s redesign. A few were made in 2016, and while it remains the easiest hole to par on the course, its lengthening increased the scoring average substantially.<\/p>\n
The rough isn\u2019t penal, but the wrong bounce can get stuck behind a palm tree. The fairway bunkers on most holes aren\u2019t necessarily a bad spot. Off the tee, plus distance means you can shorten a bunch of holes by going over the water, leading to shorter wedge shots, but it also brings in wet mishits, which will blow up a scorecard. Think of it as a longer Bay Hill, with easier rough but far more difficult greenside bunkers.<\/p>\n
Hole 18 remains THEE difficult hole. It\u2019s one of the most difficult in the world. Hole 16 should be set up to be drivable on some of the rounds.<\/p>\n
Expect some really bad scores from a few players. So much water can lead to a slew of crooked numbers. There were only four bogey-free rounds during the 2016 event. If the wind picks up at all, you\u2019ll likely be looking at a single-digit winner.<\/p>\n
For reference, Steven Bowditch<\/a><\/a><\/a>, who was a Presidents Cup International Team member the previous year, produced four rounds in the 80s (81-80-80-84). The last time a player shot four rounds in the 80s on the PGA TOUR was Mike Dunaway at the 1983 Panasonic Las Vegas Pro-Celebrity Classic. But that was a 90-hole event, and Dunaway did not play in the fifth and final round. At the 1962 Doral Open, two players, Robert Ornitz and Leo Fenster, both shot all four rounds in the 80s.<\/p>\nLong, difficult courses are the comps if you\u2019re looking. Which should result in a major-level winner this week. Here are the best players, per round, between Augusta, Torrey Pines (South), Riviera, Quail Hollow, and Bay Hill over the past three years.<\/p>\n
GET RESEARCH TOOLS, CUSTOM STATS, SIMS AT THE RABBIT HOLE<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n2026 Cadillac Championship Picks<\/h3>\n
Hideki Matsuyama<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/em><\/strong> \u2014 Hideki\u2019s number has drifted enough where gambling on his driver being any good is worth it. His approach play remains elite, he\u2019s still one of the best in the world around the greens (especially off tight surfaces), and his putter has been remarkably good in 2026. As a bonus, he\u2019s third in the field in approach inside 15-feet from 200+ yards, an approach bucket which is over-indexed this week. Just pray he stays dry off the tee.<\/p>\nChris Gotterup<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/em><\/strong> \u2014 He was pretty lousy at Heritage until he went scorched earth in the final round. Always good when the last time on the course was a massive positive after some terrible play. He\u2019s plenty long, good enough with his irons, and is generally quite good from greenside. Plus, he\u2019s one of, if not THEE best, wind player on TOUR right now. While incredibly difficult, Doral can be lit up with a good round, which can mask a lot of mistakes from mediocre days. Something that Gotterup has done a lot in 2026. He\u2019s one of five players to gain 5+ strokes on the field in over 10% of his rounds\u2026<\/p>\nGET RESEARCH TOOLS, CUSTOM STATS, SIMS AT THE RABBIT HOLE<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pat Mayo takes a deep dive into tournament and player stats with the Rabbit Hole Tool from Betsperts Golf making his early 2026 Cadillac Championship Picks, highlighting stats that matter inside the model, and previewing the course.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":9326,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":""},"bs_types":[14,15],"bs_tags":[169,29,73],"class_list":["post-17535","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","bs_type-betting","bs_type-fantasy","bs_tag-cadillac-championship","bs_tag-golf-betting","bs_tag-golf-dfs"],"acf":false,"featured_image":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/gettyimages-902086302-612x612-1.jpg","tags_list":[{"id":169,"name":"Cadillac Championship","slug":"cadillac-championship"},{"id":29,"name":"Golf Betting","slug":"golf-betting"},{"id":73,"name":"Golf DFS","slug":"golf-dfs"}],"types_list":[{"id":14,"name":"Betting"},{"id":15,"name":"Fantasy"}],"bs_author":{"name":"Pat Mayo","profile_image":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-17-163255-150x150.png"},"bs_term_name":null,"is_paid":"false","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/17535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"bs_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bs_types?post=17535"},{"taxonomy":"bs_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bs_tags?post=17535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
This is the PGA Tour\u2019s fault, though. Some will make the case that they aren\u2019t playing because it\u2019s at TRUMP DORAL, but those people are just making lazy arguments for clicks. The real reason is this abhorrent scheduling. Going Masters\/Heritage (sig)\/Zurich\/Cadillac (sig)\/Truist (sig)\/PGA Championship simply means the very top-end players don\u2019t want to wear themselves out before a Major. Don\u2019t expect to see Scottie Scheffler<\/a><\/a><\/a> and a slew of others from the field this week at Quail Hollow in seven days’ time either.<\/p>\n Par 3\u2019s (4): Average Distance – 204 yards<\/strong><\/p>\n Par 4\u2019s (10): Average Distance – 437 yards<\/strong><\/p>\n Par 5\u2019s (4): Average Distance – 590 yards<\/strong><\/p>\n PAST WINNER NOTES<\/strong><\/p>\n 2016: Adam Scott<\/a><\/a><\/a> (+1200, T-3rd favorite) beats Bubba Watson<\/a><\/a><\/a> by 1 stroke<\/strong><\/p>\n 2015: Dustin Johnson<\/a><\/a><\/a> (+2000, T-5th favorite) beats JB Holmes by 1 stroke<\/strong><\/p>\n 2014: Patrick Reed<\/a><\/a><\/a> (+8000) beats Bubba Watson<\/a><\/a><\/a> and Jamie Donaldson<\/a><\/a><\/a> by 1 stroke<\/strong><\/p>\n FIRST ROUND<\/strong><\/p>\n (Tee times were very bunched in the past with late morning tee times, so there hasn\u2019t been anything close to an even split golfer-wise in terms of AM opportunities)<\/p>\n 2016<\/p>\n 2015<\/p>\n 2014<\/p>\n The Blue Monster at Doral is hosting a PGA event for the first time since 2016. Adam Scott<\/a><\/a><\/a> held off Bubba Watson<\/a><\/a><\/a> for the win that year. The top five on the leaderboard that season were all Masters champions, too.\u00a0Danny Willett<\/a><\/span><\/a> would don his green jacket three weeks after this tournament, while Rory would have to wait a while, but he has a pair in his collection now.<\/span>\u00a0In fact, the last four winners of this event are all Masters winners (Scott, Dustin Johnson<\/a><\/a><\/a>, Patrick Reed<\/a><\/a><\/a>, and Tiger Woods<\/a><\/a><\/a>), and the 2012 champ at Doral, Justin Rose<\/a><\/a><\/a>, may as well be an honorary Augusta champ with his resume.<\/p>\n This wasn\u2019t the last time Doral has been used in a competitive setup, however. For each of the past four years, LIV played Doral. The first two years were the team championship event, and the last two were a regular tournament. Marc Leishman<\/a><\/a><\/a> and Dean Burmester<\/a><\/a><\/a> were the two individual LIV winners. And this year’s scorecard is almost exactly the same as the LIV events’.<\/p>\n In 2013, the Blue Monster was reshaped by famous golf architect Gil Hanse to make it even longer, with even more water and bunkers. The course is over 200 yards longer than when it last played on the PGA TOUR. There are deep bunkers everywhere, shaved-off areas greenside that can funnel into sticky Bermuda grass, super-skinny fairways, and massive greens. It\u2019s those massive greens that likely lead to so many players having crossover success between here and Augusta. Lag putting is an essential component of contention at both. Along with being, you know, one of the best players in the world. It\u2019s shocking that Rory, Xander, and especially Ludvig took this week off.<\/p>\n A total of 123 eagles had been recorded at the opening hole, but no eagles were recorded at No. 1 the first year after Gil Hanse\u2019s redesign. A few were made in 2016, and while it remains the easiest hole to par on the course, its lengthening increased the scoring average substantially.<\/p>\n The rough isn\u2019t penal, but the wrong bounce can get stuck behind a palm tree. The fairway bunkers on most holes aren\u2019t necessarily a bad spot. Off the tee, plus distance means you can shorten a bunch of holes by going over the water, leading to shorter wedge shots, but it also brings in wet mishits, which will blow up a scorecard. Think of it as a longer Bay Hill, with easier rough but far more difficult greenside bunkers.<\/p>\n Hole 18 remains THEE difficult hole. It\u2019s one of the most difficult in the world. Hole 16 should be set up to be drivable on some of the rounds.<\/p>\n Expect some really bad scores from a few players. So much water can lead to a slew of crooked numbers. There were only four bogey-free rounds during the 2016 event. If the wind picks up at all, you\u2019ll likely be looking at a single-digit winner.<\/p>\n For reference, Steven Bowditch<\/a><\/a><\/a>, who was a Presidents Cup International Team member the previous year, produced four rounds in the 80s (81-80-80-84). The last time a player shot four rounds in the 80s on the PGA TOUR was Mike Dunaway at the 1983 Panasonic Las Vegas Pro-Celebrity Classic. But that was a 90-hole event, and Dunaway did not play in the fifth and final round. At the 1962 Doral Open, two players, Robert Ornitz and Leo Fenster, both shot all four rounds in the 80s.<\/p>\n Long, difficult courses are the comps if you\u2019re looking. Which should result in a major-level winner this week. Here are the best players, per round, between Augusta, Torrey Pines (South), Riviera, Quail Hollow, and Bay Hill over the past three years.<\/p>\n Hideki Matsuyama<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/em><\/strong> \u2014 Hideki\u2019s number has drifted enough where gambling on his driver being any good is worth it. His approach play remains elite, he\u2019s still one of the best in the world around the greens (especially off tight surfaces), and his putter has been remarkably good in 2026. As a bonus, he\u2019s third in the field in approach inside 15-feet from 200+ yards, an approach bucket which is over-indexed this week. Just pray he stays dry off the tee.<\/p>\n Chris Gotterup<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/em><\/strong> \u2014 He was pretty lousy at Heritage until he went scorched earth in the final round. Always good when the last time on the course was a massive positive after some terrible play. He\u2019s plenty long, good enough with his irons, and is generally quite good from greenside. Plus, he\u2019s one of, if not THEE best, wind player on TOUR right now. While incredibly difficult, Doral can be lit up with a good round, which can mask a lot of mistakes from mediocre days. Something that Gotterup has done a lot in 2026. He\u2019s one of five players to gain 5+ strokes on the field in over 10% of his rounds\u2026<\/p>\n Pat Mayo takes a deep dive into tournament and player stats with the Rabbit Hole Tool from Betsperts Golf making his early 2026 Cadillac Championship Picks, highlighting stats that matter inside the model, and previewing the course.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":9326,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":""},"bs_types":[14,15],"bs_tags":[169,29,73],"class_list":["post-17535","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","bs_type-betting","bs_type-fantasy","bs_tag-cadillac-championship","bs_tag-golf-betting","bs_tag-golf-dfs"],"acf":false,"featured_image":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/gettyimages-902086302-612x612-1.jpg","tags_list":[{"id":169,"name":"Cadillac Championship","slug":"cadillac-championship"},{"id":29,"name":"Golf Betting","slug":"golf-betting"},{"id":73,"name":"Golf DFS","slug":"golf-dfs"}],"types_list":[{"id":14,"name":"Betting"},{"id":15,"name":"Fantasy"}],"bs_author":{"name":"Pat Mayo","profile_image":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-17-163255-150x150.png"},"bs_term_name":null,"is_paid":"false","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/17535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"bs_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bs_types?post=17535"},{"taxonomy":"bs_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bs_tags?post=17535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}2026 Cadillac Championship KEY STATS<\/h3>\n
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Mayo\u2019s Key Stat Rankings Powered by the Rabbit Hole at Betsperts Golf<\/a><\/h4>\n
<\/p>\n2026 Cadillac Championship COURSE<\/h3>\n
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2026 Cadillac Championship PAST WINNERS<\/h3>\n
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2026 Cadillac Championship Notes<\/h3>\n
GET RESEARCH TOOLS, CUSTOM STATS, SIMS AT THE RABBIT HOLE<\/a><\/h4>\n
<\/p>\n2026 Cadillac Championship Picks<\/h3>\n
GET RESEARCH TOOLS, CUSTOM STATS, SIMS AT THE RABBIT HOLE<\/a><\/h4>\n
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