Donald Trump Declares Himself Winner of Senior Club Championship at Own Golf Club
Donald Trump announced himself the victor of the Senior Club Championship at the Trump International Golf Club in Florida. The former President of the United States announced on social media that he had won the tournament despite missing the first round of the tournament.[0] On Tuesday, Donald Trump declared himself the winner of the Senior Club Championship at Trump International Golf Club.
Former Sports Illustrated and ESPN writer Rick Reilly has pointed out that the former president’s golf record isn’t quite as spotless as he’d have us all believe.[1] He has played with Trump on the golf course and even authored a book entitled Commander in Cheat which details Trump's golf cheating.[2] Reilly took to Twitter to express his disbelief, asking: “How could Trump ‘win’ a 2-day championship at his course in [Florida] this weekend when he spent most of Saturday at a funeral in [North Carolina]? Same way he’s won all of his tourneys. He lies. He scams. He cons.”[3]
According to the Daily Mail, Trump told tournament organizers he played a strong round on the course Thursday, two days before the tournament started, and decided that would count as his Saturday score for the club championship.[4] That score was five points better than any competitor posted during Saturday's first round, using the Modified Stableford method which takes away a point for a bogey and awards zero for a par, two for a birdie and so on.[4]
The authenticity of a championship at Trump's own golf club has been questioned, despite his reputation as a good golfer. Members of his clubs say Trump is a decent golfer, who packs a decent amount of power, and once got the support of Tiger Woods.
Yet, the Daily Mail reports that Trump did not compete in the tournament at the same time as everyone else.[5] While the tournament was slated for Saturday and Sunday, Trump was attending the North Carolina funeral for the vlogger Diamond and complained about it running too long.[5]
When questioned about the inconsistency, Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, informed The Daily Beast, “In addition to being an excellent golfer, President Trump is an even better human being. He was honored to be in North Carolina on Saturday to celebrate the life of Diamond, a remarkable individual whose legacy will continue to live on.”[6]
Donald Trump is a massive golf lover and has been constructing golf courses since 1999.[7]
0. “‘Claims They Cheated’: Golf World Furiously Refutes Donald Trump’s Latest Achievement” EssentiallySports, 25 Jan. 2023, https://www.essentiallysports.com/golf-news-claims-they-cheated-golf-world-furiously-refutes-donald-trumps-latest-achievement/
1. “Trump Cheats At Golf Like A ‘Four-Year-Old At Monopoly,' According To Sportswriter” We Got This Covered, 25 Jan. 2023, https://wegotthiscovered.com/celebrities/trump-cheats-golf-four-year-old-monopoly
2. “Donald Trump Claims Golf Victory, Raises Cheating Suspicions after Skipping First Round | Ash Jurberg” NewsBreak Original, 25 Jan. 2023, https://original.newsbreak.com/@ash-jurberg-560946/2902197267408-donald-trump-claims-golf-victory-raises-cheating-suspicions-after-skipping-first-round
3. “Trump pilloried as ‘4-year-old cheat’ over golf tournament claims: ‘Guy can’t even con right anymore’” Yahoo News Canada, 26 Jan. 2023, https://ca.news.yahoo.com/trump-pilloried-4-old-cheat-080846940.html
4. “Trump declares himself winner of his own golf club championship – despite missing a round” USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2023, https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/2023/01/24/donald-trump-declares-himself-winner-of-his-own-golf-championship/11112610002
5. “Donald Trump claims victory in club tournament despite missing first round” New York Post, 23 Jan. 2023, https://nypost.com/2023/01/23/donald-trump-claims-victory-in-club-tournament-despite-missing-first-round/
6. “Trump Won Golf Tournament Despite Not Being There First Day” UPROXX, 24 Jan. 2023, https://uproxx.com/viral/trump-won-golf-tournament-not-there-first-day/
7. “Donald Trump claims club championship win after playing only half of it” Sportskeeda, 24 Jan. 2023, https://www.sportskeeda.com/golf/news-donald-trump-claims-club-championship-win-playing-half