FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — You don’t see a lot of foursomes and four-ball play in the elite ranks of professional golf.
You don’t see a lot of snipers, either.
Yet there he was late Friday morning here at Bethpage Black, a sharpshooter with a barrel the length of a driver shaft, keeping a close eye on the proceedings at this 45th Ryder Cup from the top row of the hulking grandstand behind the 18th green and 1st tee. There were other unusual sights and sounds on this first of three days of matches: secret service agents in bulletproof vests patting down fans in eagle-themed shirts and George Washington wigs; seating reserved strictly for the White House press pool; murmurs along the rope lines of Is he here yet?
The he in question wasn’t Bryson DeChambeau, Scottie Scheffler or Rory McIlroy — it was President Donald J. Trump, who on this 26th day of September became the first U.S. President to attend the Ryder Cup in its nearly 100-year history. Ike, who famously played more than 800 rounds during his presidency, never made it to the matches. Neither did Clinton nor Obama nor either of the golf-mad Bushes. Nope, Trump became the first, soon after he and Air Force One touched down on a nearby airstrip Friday morning.
After deplaning, Trump, who already was aware of the U.S.’s early deficit, told reporters, “We’ll get it done. One way or the other we’ll get it done.” The president then joined a motorcade to the fabled “People’s Course.” Escorting Trump was his granddaughter, Kai, a talented golfer in her own right.
Ryder Cups always are deeply nationalistic affairs, but when you add the leader of the free world to the mix at a Ryder Cup on American soil, the star-spangled vibes intensify all the more. Whatever your politics, you could feel the energy levels rise as the President’s appearance neared. Also helping that much-needed shift in atmosphere for the U.S. squad, which was at risk of losing all four matches in the morning foursomes, was the outcome of the fourth and final of those matches: a 2-up win on the 18th green by Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay over Robert MacIntyre and Viktor Hovland. As the Americans celebrated their victory, the familiar refrains of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” blared from speakers around the grandstand.
A few minutes later came the next jolt: the President’s arrival through a tunnel that leads out from beneath the grandstand to the first tee. When earlier this month Trump attended the U.S. Open (tennis edition) in Flushing Meadows, about 30 miles east of here, he was roundly booed. This time, though, from his viewing pen behind a sheet of bulletproof glass by the 18th green, he heard more roars than jeers and even one short-lived “Don-ALD Trump” chant. When U.S. captain Keegan Bradley appeared at about 12:15 p.m. in advance of the afternoon wave of matches, he pointed at Trump and fist-pumped; the President returned the gesture in kind. Metallica’s spine-tingling “Enter Sandman” — Exit light, Enter night — filled the air. The party was fully on.
Oh, what a difference four years make. In January 2021, in the wake of the attacks on the U.S. Capitol, the PGA of America’s Board of Directors voted to terminate plans for Trump’s club in Bedminster, N.J., to host the 2022 PGA Championship. Other powerful golf entities, including the R&A, which runs the Open Championship, also distanced themselves from Trump. But in the years since, as Trump mounted his political comeback, he also regained influence in the golf world. The PGA Tour is returning to Trump Doral next year for the first time in a decade; LIV Golf and the DP World Tour have partnered with Trump properties; and earlier this year the President convened with Tiger Woods and PGA Tour and LIV leadership in hopes of brokering an agreement between the leagues.
Trump’s latest welcome-back moment came Friday when he shared his Black course viewing pen with PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague and the association’s president, Don Rea. Among the other golf dignitaries to visit the box were major champions Gary Player and Tom Lehman. When Scottie Scheffler, who was playing in the afternoon’s opening match, emerged from the tunnel and walked to the first tee, he pointed at Trump and smiled. Scheffler’s four-ball partner, J.J. Spaun, also acknowledged Trump by mimicking the President’s signature shimmy: hip-swaying paired with waist-level fist pumps.
The next U.S. pairing in the p.m. wave included the golfer with whom Trump might have the closest relationship: Bryson DeChambeau. The kinship showed. When DeChambeau appeared at the end of the grandstand tunnel, the President was waiting for him. They greeted each other warmly and strolled to the tee together, with Trump at one point wrapping his arm around DeChambeau’s shoulder. Trump watched DeChambeau’s opening blast from just behind the back-right corner of the box and applauded as DeChambeau’s ball found the fairway 20 yards in front of the green.
Moments later DeChambeau was fast-walking his way off the tee toward the fairway. He didn’t get far, though, before he wheeled around and raised his arms in the air to stoke the crowd.
Then it was Trump’s turn. As DeChambeau moved on, the President stopped in front of a Rolex sign behind the tee box, thrust his arms and barked words of encouragement to those within ear shot. The crowd roared again, as Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” playing over the P.A.
‘Cause I’m as free as a bird now
And this bird you cannot change
