Trump hits the links for pro-am with celebs Jenner and Barkley
Caitlyn Jenner and Charles Barkley join Donald Trump for LIV pro-am event at his New Jersey club – and ex-President says he has ‘NO REGRETS’ about losing PGA Championship over January 6 riots: ‘That’s their problem’
- The most controversial pro-am event in golf was held at Donald Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey on Thursday as celebrities such as Charles Barkley and Caitlyn Jenner joined pros like Dustin Johnson
- Trump teed off to start the event ahead of this weekend’s LIV Invitational, which is open to the public. Thursday’s pro-am, on the other hand, was closed to the public, leading to an eerily quiet day on the course
- This year’s PGA Championship was supposed to be held at Bedminster but was relocated after Trump urged thousands of supporters to march on the Capitol as Congress met to certify his presidential election defeat
- Trump was asked Thursday if he was disappointed to be hosting an LIV event, rather than one sanctioned by the USGA or PGA Tour: ‘No, no regrets. That’s their problem. This course blows every other course away’
The most controversial pro-am event in golf was held at Donald Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey on Thursday as celebrities such as Charles Barkley and Caitlyn Jenner joined pros Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau for 18 holes on the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series.
Trump, himself, teed off to start the competition ahead of this weekend’s LIV Invitational, which is open to the public. Thursday’s pro-am, on the other hand, was closed to the public, leading to an eerily quiet day on the course.
This year’s PGA Championship was supposed to be held at Bedminster but was relocated after Trump exhorted thousands of his supporters to march on the Capitol as Congress met to certify his presidential election defeat by Joe Biden.
Trump was asked Thursday if he was disappointed to be hosting an LIV event, rather than one sanctioned by the USGA or PGA Tour.
‘No, no regrets,’ Trump said. ‘That’s their problem. This course blows every other course away.’
He also declined to say how much money he would make off this weekend’s 54-hole tournament.
‘I don’t do it for that,’ he said. ‘They’ve been very generous, but I don’t do it for that. I do it because I think it’s great for golf.’
Yasir Al-Rumayyan, left, a governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which is financing the LIV Golf series, former President Donald Trump, center, and his son Eric Trump, watch play in the pro-am round of the Bedminster Invitational LIV Golf tournament in Bedminster
Charles Barkley plays a shot on the fourth hole during the pro-am prior to the LIV Golf Invitational – Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on Thursday. Barkley is admittedly considering a position with the LIV Tour
Pro golfer Hailey Ostrom (left) and Caitlyn Jenner fist bump on the first hole during the pro-am prior to the LIV Golf Invitational – Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster
Former U.S. President Donald Trump watches his shot from the first tee during the pro-am prior to the LIV Golf Invitational – Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on Thursday
Katie Kearney, influencer, players her fourth shot on the fifth hole during the pro-am prior to the LIV Golf Invitational
Team Captain Sergio Garcia of Fireballs GC looks on from the fourth hole during the pro-am prior to the LIV Golf Invitational
On Thursday, the former President golfed with his son, Eric, two weeks after the passing of his mother, Trump’s ex-wife Ivana.
The pair teed off in front of a few reporters, daughter Ivanka, her husband Jared Kushner, as well as former PGA stars Johnson and DeChaumbeau, all of whom clapped when Trump’s first drive landed in the center cut of the fairway.
‘Glad that’s over with,’ Trump joked, according to reports.
He ultimately left a 15-foot putt short on the first hole to take a bogey.
Trump, 76, drove his own cart, which was emblazoned with the presidential seal and an American flag.
By the second hole, Trump took a pass on the back tees in favor of something a bit closer to the hole.
Darryl Strawberry (left) and Team Captain Brooks Koepka of Smash GC pose during the welcome party for the LIV Golf Invitational – Bedminster at Gotham Hall on Wednesday
‘I’m gonna find a more comfortable tee,’ he said, as quoted by the Washington Post.
Trump’s individual score on Thursday could not really be recorded, because the group occasionally played best-ball and he picked his ball up on several holes.
Other celebrities involved with Thursday’s festivities included English golfers Paul Casey and Ian Poulter, Spain’s Sergio Garcia, South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen, and sports radio host Clay Travis, an avid Trump supporter. Former New York Mets star Daryl Strawberry also appeared at a related event on Wednesday at Trump’s golf club in New Jersey.
The former President has embraced the controversial tour that has lured golfers like Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka away from the PGA with massive, guaranteed contracts paid for by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.
Critics say LIV Golf amounts to blatant ‘sportswashing’ by a nation trying to improve its reputation in light of its history of human rights abuses. LIV Golf CEO and former world number one Greg Norman has said the new series offers players ‘free agency’ and fans an exciting new way of watching golf.
The US-based PGA Tour has suspended members who opted to join the breakaway circuit and said anyone else who makes the jump will face the same fate.
In response, Trump urged players last week to ‘take the money’ and join LIV Golf, suggesting that those who remain loyal to the PGA Tour will ultimately pay a bigger price for staying put.
‘All of those golfers that remain ‘loyal’ to the very disloyal PGA, in all of its different forms, will pay a big price when the inevitable MERGER with LIV comes, and you get nothing but a big ‘thank you’ from PGA officials who are making Millions of Dollars a year,’ Trump wrote on the social medial platform Truth Social.
‘If you don’t take the money now, you will get nothing after the merger takes place, and only say how smart the original signees were.’
Team Captain Martin Kaymer of Cleeks GC and Henrik Stenson of Majesticks GC walk the second hole with amateurs during the pro-am prior to the LIV Golf Invitational
Trump (L) and son Eric are pictured during a Pro-Am tournament leading up to the LIV Golf Bedminster invitational
Charles Barkley and celebrity chef Geoffrey Zakarian stand on the third greenduring the pro-am prior to the LIV Invitational
Pro golfer Hailey Ostrom stands on the first green during the pro-am prior to the LIV Golf Invitational
Thursday’s event was closed to the public, which is why fans could not be seen at Trump’s Bedminster golf club
Former U.S. President Donald Trump talks with media and fans on the sixth hole during the pro-am prior to the LIV Golf Invitational – Bedminster at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on Thursday
Former world number one Johnson, who counts the 2020 Masters among his two major wins, and 2020 U.S. Open winner DeChambeau are among those competing this week where the individual winner gets $4 million from a $25 million purse.
The final event of LIV Golf’s inaugural season, where there will be $50 million in total prize money, will be held at Trump’s Doral course in Florida from October 27-30.
Barkley has admitted he is in public talks about taking a role with the tour, despite the fact that he’s a former NBA star known for a horrific slice on the links.
He currently has a three-year contract worth $30 million with TNT, working multiple events including the Emmy-winning “Inside the NBA” studio show alongside Ernie Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal.
Barkley, referred to as a “notorious hack” by hoops peer and Hornets owner Michael Jordan, has a large following and became known as an anything goes analyst with Turner Sports.
The LIV Golf Series began in June, paying immense, guaranteed contracts to golfers to join the new tour and leave established PGA Tour membership behind. Some players have pointed to the lighter schedule of events as a tipping point in their decision.
Broadcaster David Feherty has officially joined LIV from NBC Sports, despite the fact that the tour does not yet have a media rights deal.
Prominent players have been critical of the Saudi-funded circuit as a money grab, including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
Team Captain Bryson DeChambeau of Crushers GC talks with former U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday in New Jersey
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