Will he appear, or won’t he? And if he does, how will you react?
For golfers and top athletes, it’s becoming par for the course to be asked questions about the opportunity of meeting US President Donald Trump.
This week, it’s the turn of female pro golfers, whose US Open tournament has the distinction of being held at the Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey.
For the likes of world No. 1 Ryu So-yeon, former US Open champion Michelle Wie, and former world No. 1 Lydia Ko any questions about the potential of bumping into Trump prompted responses that their focus was very much on the golf.
“I take my role as a female role model very seriously,” Wie told reporters. “This week is about the golf.
“This is our national championship and one of my favorite weeks of the year,” she added. “I really want to focus on the golf part and hopefully inspire a lot of young women — and women in general, hopefully — with my game.”
Restricted airspace
Trump is scheduled to attend France’s Bastille Day celebrations with President Emmanuel Macron on July 14, though the Federal Aviation Administration has issued flight restrictions around the club’s airspace from Friday through the tournament’s close on Sunday. The act is consistent with previous expectations of Trump visits, according to Golf.com.
CNN contacted the White House press office who declined to comment on Trump’s plans. “We have no guidance to provide on the weekend as of now,” the White House said, via email.
Meanwhile, CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan has urged Trump to “stay away” from one of the key events of the women’s Tour.
“If Trump shows up, he will overwhelm the event,” Brennan wrote in USA Today. “He won’t be a story. He will be the story.
“He will steal the spotlight from the golfers who deserve it, women who receive a fraction of the attention, and the pay, of their male counterparts.”
Golf fan
Trump often spends his weekends at his golf clubs, and has played rounds with stars of the men’s game, including Rory McIlroy in February and, with Tiger Woods when he was President-elect.
In April, four-time major champion McIlroy said he would “think twice” about playing golf with the Trump again after the “backlash” he received.
Trump owns a number of golf courses around the world. He’s also a keen golfer and the Golf News Net website estimates he’s “on track to play 480 rounds in office over eight years, assuming he wins re-election and completes both terms.”
The website added that as of July 3 “he has spent nearly 22% of his days in office at one of his golf properties to play for some portion of the day.”
As president, Trump has sporadically shown up to private events at his properties, including dropping in on a couple getting married at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club last month.
Before sitting in office, chance meetings with the real estate mogul were a selling point for prospective brides and grooms in the club’s brochure, which has since been discontinued.
“If he is on-site for your big day, he will likely stop in & congratulate the happy couple,” the brochure read, according to the New York Times. “He may take some photos with you but we ask you and your guests to be respectful of his time & privacy.”
White House invitations
Since Trump’s inauguration in January, college and pro athletes have been faced with decisions on whether to attend traditional White House celebratory visits.
The college football champion Clemson Tigers went all in on their White House visit in June, bringing along roughly 180 players and member of staff.
Defensive end Clelin Ferrell was one of about a dozen players invited to the Oval Office to meet Trump, telling ESPN it “was just a great feeling to have that type of recognition from somebody like him.”
The Super Bowl winning New England Patriots accepted an invitation by Trump in April, although more than two dozen players, including star quarterback Tom Brady, did not attend.
The Golden State Warriors, however, did not even wait for an invitation before unanimously voting to decline a White House visit after winning the NBA Finals last month.
The US Women’s Open runs from July 13-16.
