Obama holed up at top golf resort before vital TV debate

THE temptation for Barack Obama to skip preparations ahead of a make-or-break election debate tonight was right outside his window – three pristine championship-level golf courses. But the golf-loving President had been ordered by aides to leave his clubs at home after his disastrous performance during the first TV debate with challenger Mitt Romney a fortnight ago. During his build-up to the first debate in Denver, Mr Obama played truant to visit the Hoover Dam and attended a rally in Las Vegas. But the stakes have risen significantly because of his lacklustre performance, and his popularity has fallen in opinion polls. So for the past three days the President has been holed-up in the Kingsmill golf resort in Williamsburg, Virginia, to prepare for tonight’s second showdown with Republican Mr Romney. And this time there have been no excursions – his only break in studies was a 30-minute visit to a campaign field office where he delivered pizzas to the staff. With three weeks to go until US election day, the President insisted yesterday that his preparations were ‘going great’. Yesterday, Mr Romney was near his home in Massachusetts also preparing for the debate. His advisers said he will be seeking to appeal to America’s undecided voters during the highly anticipated clash, which is being held at Hofstra University in New York.