Former President Donald Trump seems to have been implicated in a golf cheating scandal. According to the Palm Beach Post, Trump’s name was at the top of the leaderboard during the final round of the Senior Club Championship at Trump International West Palm Beach on January 22. However, the report indicates that Trump did not participate in the initial round of the tournament.
Instead, Trump had played a round earlier that week and used that score for the first round of the championship. On social media, he celebrated his tournament victory and claimed to have played exceptionally well, describing his performance as “long and straight.”
This isn’t the first time Trump has faced allegations of manipulating his golf scores. Rick Reilly’s 2019 book, “Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump,” documented several instances of Trump’s questionable behavior on the golf course.
Reilly’s book includes examples such as:
- In 2017, Trump played with Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson. His partner, Brad Faxon, reported that Trump failed to account for two balls he hit into the water on a single hole.
- Allegations that Trump, his caddie, and Secret Service agents frequently moved his golf balls to improve lies.
- Sports announcer Mike Tirico claimed Trump once moved Tirico’s ball from the green to a bunker during their round together.
- Boxer Oscar De La Hoya accused Trump of cheating twice over two holes during a 2016 match, asserting, “It was his course, so it was his rules.”
Trump owns 19 golf courses, including three in New Jersey. His Bedminster course will host an LIV Golf series tournament this summer, continuing the course’s association with the breakaway league after losing the 2022 PGA Championship following the January 6 Capitol events.