In rare admission, Trump golfs (quickly) with Woods, Johnson
JUPITER, Fla.,: US President Donald Trump said on Friday he would tee off with professional golf stars Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson, a rare admission from the putter-in-chief that he is taking time out for his favourite pastime.
Trump regularly spends his weekends at a golf course, but the White House typically declines to confirm that the Republican president is, in fact, golfing.
Friday was the third consecutive day Trump has visited a golf course during his Thanksgiving holiday, which he is spending at a resort he owns in Florida. But it was the first time he has said he was on the greens.
Emphasizing that he would first call Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to discuss Middle East peace issues – and later work on economic issues – Trump said on Twitter that he would “play golf (quickly) with Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson.”
Johnson is the world’s top ranked golfer, and Woods is a former world champion who has been trying to make a comeback after a series of back surgeries. Trump also golfed in Florida with Woods last December.
Trump himself is no slouch. Golf Digest magazine has said he has a ‘low single-digit handicap’ and may be the best-ever golfer to hold the office of president.
Democratic former President Barack Obama also was an avid golfer, spending most weekends and downtime on the course with friends and staff – and occasionally, golf stars like Woods or fellow world leaders.
During Obama’s tenure, the White House routinely released the names of his golf partners. — Reuters