ATLANTA – This was not your normal weekend game at the club.
For starters, the group included six players, which at most clubs is not allowed, as well as President Donald Trump and some of golf’s most high-profile executives last Saturday at Trump Bedminster in New Jersey.
The president was teamed with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley against a threesome that included NBC Sports president Pete Bevacqua, Jay Clayton, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and Andrew Giuliani, a public liaison assistant for Trump.
“So, the team of Trump, Ridley, and Monahan defeated the team of Bevacqua, Giuliani, and Clayton, 2 and 1,” Monahan said on Tuesday at the Tour Championship. “[The president] loves the game of golf, and that's very apparent. As his teammate, that's a little bit of extra pressure, but it was a nice day.”
Trump has been involved in the golf industry for a long time, well before becoming president, and regularly plays golf with high-profile players and industry executives.
“You always have to honor the office of the presidency,” Monahan said. “I’m concerned about criticism for everything. But in this instance, he has been a great supporter of the Presidents Cup. He loves our game. He has a relationship with a lot of our players.
“I'm not there for political reasons. I'm there to support him. He's asked me to be there and be there along with other peers in our industry. It's a chance for us to spend some time together and have a wonderful time.”