Women’s Open is shrouded in politics at Trump National
BEDMINSTER, N.J. — There will be no getting around President Trump for the USGA and the world’s top golfers at the U.S. Women’s Open this week.
The biggest event in women’s golf is being held at Trump National Golf Club, and the first day of formal interviews Tuesday had as much to do with the Republican president as it did about the tournament that starts Thursday.
The USGA has faced pressure from women’s groups and three Democratic U.S. senators to move the event because of Trump’s comments about women and minorities, namely audio that surfaced during the campaign of Trump vulgarly describing his interactions with women. The USGA refused, keeping the marquee event at the course located a few miles from its headquarters in Far Hills.
Open champions Michelle Wie, So Yeon Ryu of South Korea and former world No. 1 Lydia Ko of New Zealand skirted questions Tuesday about Trump’s past, insisting they were focused on playing golf this week.
It’s unclear whether Trump will attend the tournament that runs through Sunday, said Matt Sawicki, director of USGA championships. Trump is scheduled to be in France on Friday for a Bastille Day celebration. The Federal Aviation Administration has issued the type of flight restriction around the club from Friday through Sunday that it typically issues when Trump is expected there.
Three-time Open winner Inbee Park said she was not surprised players are avoiding political questions.
“I don’t think they will get any advantage from saying whether they agree or disagree, and I mean I don’t really think that really has much to say with me because I think it is really up to him whether he wants to come or not,” Park said.
A USGA official moderating the news conferences, Beth Major, declined to give an answer when asked about the organization’s stance on sexual assault, saying the USGA was there to talk about the golf this week. She did say the USGA would discuss it later, away from the podium.
Brittany Lincicome, a seventime winner on the LPGA Tour, recently told the Chicago Tribune that she hoped the president would stay away from the event so the focus will be on the golfers and not Trump.
Wie said she sees herself a female role model and takes it seriously, but did not go beyond that.
“I really want to focus on the golf part and I want to hopefully inspire a lot of young women and women in general hopefully with my game,” said the 27year-old who won this event in 2014. Senior LPGA: Trish Johnson shot an even-par 72 to take a three-stroke lead into the final round of the Senior LPGA Championship, the first major championship for senior women.
The 51-year-old Englishwoman opened with a double bogey and had three birdies and a bogey on French Lick Resort’s Pete Dye Course. She had a 5-under 139 total.
Michele Redman was second after a 69, and Lorie Kane (70), Liselotte Neumann (71) and Carolyn Hill (74) followed at 1-over. Spieth fond of Australia: Jordan Spieth is returning to the Australian Open, Nov. 2326, at the Australian Golf Club in Rosebery, a Sydney suburb. He will attempt to win the Stonehaven Cup for the third time in four years.