Rory McIlroy : I talked golf not politics during round with Donald Trump

Focus on Rory McIlroy’s return after a seven-week absence from competitive golf and any impact on Masters preparations could wait. Inevitably, as he addressed the media before the WGC-Mexico Championship, deepest intrigue surrounded that McIlroy golf match with Donald Trump.

McIlroy, who defended himself in a strongly worded statement on Friday, admitted surprise at the level of negative reaction to his acceptance of an invitation from the US president.
Rory McIlroy: ‘Trump’s whole circus, this big show, is intriguing to watch’
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He made a point of apologising to anyone who took umbrage. And yet, in what characterizes the Northern Irishman to such an extent, he appears perfectly at ease with joining Trump on 19 February in Florida.

“I guess I just approached it, as I said in my statement, as a round of golf,” McIlroy said. “Anyone’s beliefs or politics or whatever, just put that to one side for a minute. To go there and see 30 secret service and 30 cops and snipers in the trees, it’s just – I mean, it was just a surreal experience for me to see something like that. That was part of the reason I wanted to go and play.

“If it had been Obama I would have gone to play. I’ve played golf with President Clinton, I’ve spent time with President Bush. I’ve been around quite a few presidents before and again, like putting beliefs and whatever to one side, I just wanted to have an experience that I might not ever get [again]; play golf with a sitting president.

“You can respect the guy, not respect the guy, I don’t care, but if someone has a chance to play in that scenario and just sort of experience the whole thing ... it’s not as if we were speaking foreign policy out there. We were talking about golf and the grass that he put on the greens and the grass that he’s putting on the greens at [Trump-owned] Doral. We talked golf the entire day. I think he was happier to talk golf than anything else that he has to do these days.

“I’m not an American. I can’t change the way the political system or what’s going to happen. I can’t vote.”

McIlroy added: “I’m sorry if I pissed people off but I felt I was in a position where I couldn’t really do anything but say ‘yes’. Respect the office even if you don’t respect the guy that’s in it, go play and go from there. I actually enjoyed myself, I had a good time.

“Yes I was a little bit taken aback by the blow back I received but I get why. It’s a tough place to be in, it’s a tough position, and maybe if I look back on it I put myself in a position where I was going to get that from either side one way or the other. I was just doing what I felt was respectful and the president of the United States phones you up and wants to play golf with you.”

McIlroy’s political awareness stems from an upbringing on the outskirts of Belfast. He swatted aside any notion of comparison between home and the US. “I feel like my generation has moved past all of that,” he said. “I feel with the Good Friday agreement and the peace process people have become way closer together.”

McIlroy’s working back to fitness – he missed four tournaments from mid January – included a bounce game with Dustin Johnson on Saturday.

“I shot 65,” said McIlroy, who could return to the summit of the world rankings with a win in Mexico. “We were joking; it was quite a week for me, I got to play with the president of the United States and the best golfer in the world.”

For More Information:- Rory McIlroy

Hillary Clinton takes a swing at Donald Trump over time spent on the golf course

Hillary Clinton has taken a swing at Donald Trump, by retweeting a data project that claims he spent 25 hours playing golf during his first month in office.

The former Democratic presidential nominee shared a graph with her millions of Twitter followers that claimed to show that Mr Trump had spent more than four times longer playing golf than receiving intelligence briefings.

It was estimated by the Washington Post that during Mr Trump's first full month in office after his inauguration on January 20 (a total of 744 hours) he had spent: 

    25 hours - playing golf
    6 hours - receiving intelligence briefings
    6 hours - signing bills and executive orders
    21 hours - on foreign relations (meetings and phone calls with foreign leaders)
    4 hours - taking news news conferences

The data is based on pool reports and the time between when the media was told to arrive in the morning until the media was dismissed in the evening.

The newspaper itself admitted that the metrics used were "imprecise".

 

Mr Trump played a round with Rory McIlroy, the Northern Irish golfing superstar, at his Trump International course in south Florida on Sunday.

The four-time major winner said of Mr Trump: "He probably shot around 80. He’s a decent player for a guy in his seventies!"

Trump and McIlroy

However, there was confusion when a White House spokesman said Mr Trump had only "played a couple of holes" on Saturday and Sunday, whereas McIlroy said their group had played a full 18. 

He also played a round with Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister, earlier this month.

President Trump golfing with Shinzo Abe

Mr Trump was a frequent critic of the amount of time his predecessor, Barack Obama, spent on the golf course.

For More Information:- Telegraph

White House forced to reverse course on Trump’s golfing

For the third consecutive weekend, Donald Trump has headed south, spending time at his private club in South Florida, where the president appears to enjoy golfing. And while that ordinarily wouldn’t be especially notable – just about every modern president has enjoyed hitting the links – with Trump, nothing is ever easy.

Because Trump complained bitterly for years about President Obama’s golfing, the Republican’s aides are a little touchy about the subject, to the point that they’ve begun shading the truth a bit. Politico reported this afternoon:
 

After initially saying Trump had only played a few holes, the White House reversed itself Monday after     professional golfer Rory McIlroy posted on his website that he had played 18 holes with the president.
 

“As stated yesterday the President played golf. He intended to play a few holes and decided to play  longer,” White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders said Monday.

I’ll gladly concede that this White House’s falsehoods are so numerous, giving deceptive information about the president’s golf game hardly registers. For that matter, the president’s own lies are often so serious, it’s hard to get too worked up about this latest misstep.

But even with those caveats in mind, it’s an odd thing to lie about. Have we really reached the point at which Trump World is so accustomed to pushing bogus and misleading information that even the president’s golfing is fair game?

Part of the problem, of course, is Trump’s preoccupation with Obama’s downtime. The Trump Twitter Archive points to Trump whining about his predecessor’s golfing over and over and over and over and over again. As the Republican put it before his own election, Americans should perceive Obama as lazy and easily distracted because of his preferred form of recreation during his personal downtime.

Indeed, Trump said a year ago he’d be a very different kind of president. At an event in New Hampshire in Feb. 2016, while again complaining about Obama golfing, Trump declared that if he were in office, “I’d want to stay in the White House and work my ass off.”

In Nov. 2016, Trump moved the goal posts, saying he might golf a bit, but only as part of his presidential duties. “Golf is fine,” he said the day before the election. “But always play with leaders of countries and people that can help us!”

Now, as the Huffing ton Post noted, Trump’s whole perspective has changed.

 Since becoming president, Trump has played a lot of golf. Specifically, he has made six trips to the golf course in 30 days. This has caused some people to suggest Trump might be a hypocrite. The White House, which seems sensitive to those allegations, has responded by keeping the press and the public in the dark about Trump’s golfing – sometimes literally, like on Feb. 11, when administration officials made an AP reporter wait in a room with black plastic over the windows while the president played golf.
 

Trump’s golfing this weekend was similarly secret. Late Sunday afternoon, Sarah Huckleberry Sanders, a top White House press aide, told reporters Trump had played “a couple of holes” Saturday and Sunday.

    It was more than a couple, and it wasn’t at all with world leaders:

Even today, the White House only conceded its original statement was wrong after the facts emerged from those Trump played with.

To be clear, I’m not criticizing Trump for wanting to go golfing. It’s a tough job, and presidents should unwind however they want. It’s not something the public should get too worked up about.

For More Information:- Steve Benen

Donald Trump appeared to use his $3,755 gold driver in golf match with Japan Prime Minister

In late November Golf Digest's Mike Johnson reported that Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gifted a Honma Beres S-05 driver to newly-elected President Donald Trump. The club -- coming in at 9.5 degrees of loft with a 5S Armrq Infinity stiff shaft -- was noteworthy for two reasons: it's embellished in gold, and it retails for a whopping $3,755.

Often when heads of state exchange presents, they are shipped to the National Archives and Records Administration, as presidents are allowed to keep only items of minimal value. However, in his round with the Prime Minister this weekend, Trump appeared to be brandishing his new big stick:

We're not sure why POTUS is swing the club backwards; perhaps it's a warmup technique? Whatever the case, you know you've made it in this world when you're swinging a gold-plated driver.

For More Information:- Joel Beall

Trump Navigates The Hazard Of Presidential Golf Outings

President Trump played golf this weekend, but he wanted to make it clear that he was not just kicking back and relaxing.

"The President enjoyed hosting Prime Minister Abe on the golf course today, which was both relaxing and productive," the White House said in a statement. "They had great conversations on a wide range of subjects."
 

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe joined Trump at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Fla., for the weekend, and the two played a round with South African golfer Ernie Els at the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Fla., on Saturday.

The press was not allowed to cover Trump's outing, though the Washington Post obtained some cellphone video of the president appearing to tee off on Saturday.

 It's important for Trump to let it be known that his golf outing is a working golf outing, lest he be charged with hypocrisy.

Tee times have been a source of partisan attacks on presidents in recent years. Trump himself was a vocal critic of the amount of time President Obama played golf, falsely suggesting in 2015 that Obama played 250 rounds in one year. Political noted that the figure was Obama's golf record over seven years.

"I don't have time for that. I love golf, I think it's one of the greats, but I don't have time,' Trump said at the time.

For More Information:- Jerry P Sager

Tiger Woods withdraws from Dubai Desert Classic with bad back

Tiger Woods has withdrawn from the Omega Dubai Desert Classic ahead of his second round at Emirates Golf Club.

The 41-year-old American, who was playing in his second comeback tournament, has pulled out because of a "bad back".

In Thursday's opening round, Woods carded a five-over-par 77 which did not include a single birdie and left him outside the top 120.

The 14-time major winner arrived in the Middle East having missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego last week, where he was competing in his first official PGA Tour event for 17 months.

During the past couple of years, the former world No 1 has been sidelined with back pain and has undergone a series of operations.

He has also suffered from serious leg injuries and his plan to contest four tournaments in five weeks may now have to be curtailed.

For More Information:- Jerry P Sager

Fantasy golf rankings: 2017 Waste Management Phoenix Open

The Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale is next on the PGA Tour slate. Known for its rowdy 16th hole, the WMPO also has produced some great moments in recent years, including Phil Mickelson’s near-59, Brooks Koestler first career Tour win in 2015, and Hideki Matsuyama’s battle with Rickie Fowler last year.

To help you with your fantasy-golf lineups, Golf week ranks its top 25 players in the field.

• • •

1. Hideki Matsuyama: The defending champ also tied for second here in 2015 and shared fourth in 2014 (he’s fifth in all-time money at this event despite making just three starts here). Hasn’t played since T-27 at Sony, and we all know what he did before that (four wins and two seconds in six starts). He’s had two weeks to recharge and he should be ready to go at one of his best tracks.

2. Jordan Spieth: The World No. 5 was T-7 in his only Phoenix Open start, in 2015. Has already finished in the top 3 twice in 2017. Pick him with supreme confidence.

3. Justin Thomas: Missed the cut here last year after a T-17 in his debut, in 2015. Current form, though, is stellar, as Thomas has won two straight events and three of his past five worldwide.

For More Information:- Brentley Romine

Jerry P Sager | Tour Confidential: Will Tiger Woods rebound in Dubai?

Every Sunday night, the Sports Illustrated Golf Group conducts an e-mail round table with writers from Sports Illustrated, GOLF and GOLF.com (with the occasional special guest). Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors and join the conversation by tweeting us @golf_com.

1. His chipping prowess aside, Tiger Woods had an uninspiring performance at Torrey Pines, shooting 76-72 and missing the cut by four shots. Now he's headed overseas for the Dubai Desert Classic. What constitutes a good week?

Josh Sens, contributing writer, This is the question that keeps cropping up through swing changes and surgeries and assorted other struggles. The one constant, of course, is that we're talking about Tiger Woods. By the standards he set for himself — never mind the expectations of the multitudes — a good week is a win. Just hoping to make the weekend without an injury doesn't cut it, for him or his fans. In the meantime, though, hitting a few more fairways wouldn't hurt.

Shane Bacon, golf analyst, Fox Sports (@shanebacon): Tiger is so far from contending with his current game that I say making the cut is a great week for Woods. Tiger can say he shows up to win, but that golf swing and two-way miss isn't winning anything right now. Get to the weekend, play in tournament conditions for four days and reassess, but a made cut is a win right now for Tiger Woods. 

For More Information:- GOLF WIRE

TPC Deere Run Silvis Illinois

Obama Crashes California Wedding

TSN Championship Golf

Beauty picked over talent as magazine renews golf sexism debate

Miss New York Kira Kazantsev wins the 2015 Miss America contest.

Golf is under fire again for promoting sex appeal ahead of talent.

Last year there was disappointment that world No 1 Lydia Ko was overlooked for a cover shot on Golf Digest, who preferred serial self-promoter Paige Spiracle with her looks and massive social media presence.

Now Golf magazine has raised eyebrows with its latest edition featuring its fourth annual presentation of the "Most beautiful Women in Golf".

The 2017 parade includes pro golfers Cheyenne Woods, Danielle Kang, Belen Mozo and the sister duo of Jessica and Nelly Korda. But from there it gets a bit cloudy.

READ MORE:
 

* Ko: I want a grand slam
* Kilroy out of Abu Dhabi with rib injury


The wife and daughters of former star Ben Screensaver feature, as do a former Miss Idaho (Melissa Jones, wife of PGA Tour pro Matt Jones), golf-mad Miss America winner Kira Kazantzakis, as well as Fox Sports golf and NFL reporter Holly Sanders.

Sanders earns the plaudit of being the only woman to appear in all four editions of the annual lineup.

Some of the golfing links are tenuous at best and have raised the ire of former LPGA Tour professional Anya Alvarez, with the American penning a pointed column for The Guardian.

For More Information:- Jerry P Sager

Lifelong Woodmont Country Club member resigns over Obama golf controversy

The mayor of a tony Maryland suburb resigned from a prominent golf club on Monday because the club might not welcome President Obama as a member.

Jeffrey Slavin, the mayor of the Montgomery County town of Somerset, wrote in an email that he would not remain a member of Woodmont Country Club because of a recent fevered debate about whether Obama could join.

Some members of the historically Jewish club have said they would not welcome Obama, who has played there four times during his presidency, because of his recent decision not to veto a U.N. Security Council resolution criticizing Israeli settlements.

                                                         

                                                                        
“He has created a situation in the world where Israel’s very existence is weakened and possibly threatened . . .” longtime member Faith Goldstein wrote in a late December email obtained by The Washington Post. “He is not welcome at Woodmont. His admittance would create a storm that could destroy our club.”

Another member, attorney Marc B. Abrams, called it “inconceivable” that Obama should be in the club because of his stance toward Israel.

In the ensuing debate over the email, Slavin, a Democratic activist and a lifelong member of the country club where his father was also a member, said he would lead a mass membership resignation if Obama were not invited to join.

On Monday — which he noted was Martin Luther King Jr. Day — Slavin made good on at least his own resignation.

He wrote in an email to the club’s general manager:

“I can no longer belong to a community:

Where Intolerance is accepted,

Where History is forgotten,

Where Freedom of Speech is denied,

And where the nation’s first black president is disrespected.”

Slavin signed his email “Thanks for many great memories,” followed by a quote from the civil rights anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and then the words “Stay Woke.”

There is no indication that Obama has actually asked to join the 460-acre club off Rockville Pike, though Politico reported last summer that it would be his likely post-presidency choice of golf spots.

For More Information:-  Julie Zauzmer

The Callaway Lifestyle Film

A courageous golf tour in Pebble Beach California

Are you die heart fan of sports, golf and even more you love going watching the news? Curious to know the hurdle and the adventuring golf course story of this opening session? Wish to come up with some exciting story just before the game session was about to start?

Today we are covering a thrilling moment that was filmed by chance that will surprise you more than your favorite player signature shot. At this time once again the hospitality and golf course for the opening session was supposed to be led by Jerry P Sager, who is senior managing director of First National of America. More about Jerry he has been accounted as famous figure and has more than 25 years of rich history of lending to owners and management companies, his team has provided financing for the acquisition, construction, expansion and refinancing of specialized assets throughout the United States.

But, somehow Jerry Sager has been caught on camera describing the scenes and weather of the golf course. According to Jerry, once again the day October 5 was recalled when the Tour Championship Tournament in Jacksonville was canceled due to hurricane Mathew and the same goes after three months in the Bahamas, Pebble Beach by the season openers. As the same gust of wind and storm hit the Monterrey Peninsula and pummeled by it, this is called as the atmospheric river, which was responsible for the massive flood in Northern California.

Still, some of the players proved their valiant spirit towards golf and appeared to mark their element, what is commonly called as Crosby weather, also pointed by Jerry during questioning. He also helps to come up with the fact that weather like this was mostly preferred for playing golf under old Being Crosby National Pro-Am (now known as the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am). It proved too great curiosity among the spectator who gathers to watch their role icons struggling for the nineteen whole which was greatly affected by the wind.    

After this it was like we have missed the best part of this Sunday, but at end Jerry also concluded that it was weather which won the race and situation, as the game was the force to stop. But also made the smile on golf fans face by announcing that there is more session that is to be held schedule for which he has been called for the lending golf course. He also announces that would be the presence of few more session opener and golf legend to prove their metal once again.