One of pro golf’s most important tournaments was taken from President Donald Trump’s course in Bedminster, New Jersey, days after his supporters stormed the US capital, officials said Sunday.
While the Professional Golfers’ Association of America did not mention the riot in its statement, the move came four days after the mob, through Trump’s persistent false statements about election fraud, trespassed on the Capitol in a failed attempt to win. Elected President Joe Biden.
At least five people have been killed, including a Capitol police officer.
The 2022 PGA Championship would be played at Trump’s club in May of that year.
“The PGA of America Board of Directors voted tonight to exercise the right to terminate the agreement to play the 2022 PGA Championship at Trump Bedminster,” PGA President Jim Jim Richerson said in ‘ a statement released by the PGA.
In a video statement, Richerson said it would be bad for business to play at Trump’s club and that it could even harm the sport itself.
“It has become clear that running the PGA Championship at Trump Bedminster will harm the PGA of America brand and jeopardize the PGA’s ability to deliver many programs and sustain the life of our mission,” he said. he said.
“It was a decision to ensure that PGA of America and PGA professionals can continue to lead and grow our excellent game,” he said.
The Trump Organization claims in a statement that the PGA “has no right to terminate the agreement”.
“We had a wonderful partnership with the PGA of America and are incredibly disappointed with their decision,” he said.
“This is a breach of a binding contract and they have no right to terminate the agreement. As an organization, we have invested many millions of dollars in the 2022 PGA Championship at Trump National Golf Club, Bedminster,” he said.
This is not the first time the pro golf’s hierarchy has had to explode from a sand trap set by Trump.
The 2016 WGC Cadillac Championship would be played at Trump National Doral near Miami before sponsors revolted over Trump’s comments as a presidential candidate that Mexican immigrants were ‘criminals, drug dealers, rapists’.
The tournament was moved to Mexico City.
Even before his presidential election, Trump was not a favorite among golf officials in the UK, where he long afterwards tried to make the turn of the British Open back to his Turnberry golf course in Scotland, where it was played in 2009.
NBC News reported last year that Trump had asked his ambassador to the United Kingdom, Robert “Woody” Johnson, to see if British government officials could help make the Open play at Turnberry.
Rex Hoggard contributed.