The PGA TOUR, on behalf of the International Federation of PGA Tours, announced Wednesday that the World Golf Championships tournament held in Miami since 2007 will relocate to Mexico City and be renamed the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship, beginning in 2017.
The move is the result of a seven-year agreement through 2023 with Grupo Salinas, a collection of companies based in Mexico City primarily involved in retail, television, telecommunications and other businesses. Grupo Salinas is overseen by founder and chairman Ricardo Salinas and his son, Benjamin.
‘Since the debut of the World Golf Championships in 1999, the intent has always been to conduct these tournaments around the world,’ said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem.’Once it became apparent that we would not be able to secure sponsorship at levels that would sustain the event and help it grow at Trump National Doral, we began having serious discussions with Ricardo and Benjamin Salinas, who expressed strong interest in bringing a tournament to Mexico City to benefit golf and its development throughout Mexico. We are very excited about this new opportunity and what it brings to the World Golf Championships.’
The Mexico Championship will be held at a to-be-announced facility March 2-5, 2017.
‘With this great championship, Mexico is recognized as a major player in golf,’ said Benjamin Salinas, CEO of TV Azteca. ‘We have some of the best golf courses in the world, and we’ll have the top 50 golfers playing here. We welcome all – sponsors, golfers and audiences – to turn their eyes towards Mexico and discover the vast opportunities it offers to the international community.’
The former Cadillac Championship has been held at Trump National Doral since 2007, with Cadillac serving as the title sponsor since 2011. From 1999 through 2006, the tournament was held in Spain, Ireland, England as well as the US.
‘We greatly appreciate everything that Cadillac, Trump National Doral and Donald Trump have done for the tournament,’ Finchem said. ‘Cadillac has been a tremendous sponsor and Donald has been a most gracious host since taking over the property in 2013. In particular, his commitment to renovating the golf course and the overall facility at Doral was especially appreciated by the PGA TOUR and its members.’
‘The PGA TOUR has had a wonderful history in greater Miami and at Trump National Doral and we remain interested in returning when the time is right,’ Finchem added.
