President-elect Donald Trump is a lifelong golfer and an owner of several golf resorts and private clubs, yet observers "really cannot say" if Trump's presidency will be "good for golf," according to Michael Bamberger of GOLF.com. One of the reasons the PGA Tour moved a WGC event from the Trump-owned Doral course in Miami to Mexico was because top Tour execs "could not find a tournament sponsor who wanted to be a partner of Trump's." It seems "unlikely that more Tour events will be assigned to courses with the Trump stamp on them." Former PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem and other golf leaders "distanced themselves from Trump during the campaign." Bamberger: "But who really knows? After all, everybody loves a winner." Whether golf becomes "more or less popular under Trump is impossible to say." His relationship with the Tour is "strained," and that "could" affect the Tour’s federal status as a not-for-profit tax-exempt organization. There is "no way to know whether Trump will use the presidency to settle scores." He has a "far closer relationship with the LPGA and the PGA of America." Trump has said that he will "turn his golf portfolio ... over to his children to run" (GOLF.com, 11/9).
DEEP TIES: GOLF DIGEST's Jaime Diaz wrote on the "negative side," Trump has "deeply offended many with his comments, and probably will again." If that "perception of Trump gets traction, it could hurt the image of the game and potentially, participation." Especially when it comes to "drawing new players looking for a pastime that isn’t stigmatized by old stereotypes." On the positive side, "no American president has ever been as tied to or identified with golf." Trump-owned courses in '17 are "scheduled to hold two major championships" -- the Senior PGA Championship at Trump National DC and the U.S. Women’s Open at Trump National Bedminster. It "wouldn't be a shock if Trump made an appearance at either or both" (GOLFDIGEST.com, 11/9). In London, James Corrigan writes the USGA is likely "relieved" that Trump won the election, as it was "expecting the controversy to intensify over its stance to keep" the '17 Women's Open at Trump's course. There can be "little doubt that if Trump had lost, the pressure would have built." Sponsors would have been "urged to act, the protest groups would have been activated; the competition would have been mired in controversy." The USGA now "cannot go around upsetting the Oval Office." Corrigan: "Believe it, notwithstanding scandal or dramatic downfall, the US Women’s Open will pass with only a few murmurs of dissent" (London TELEGRAPH, 11/10).
GAME CHANGER: In Boston, Bob Hohler notes Trump "will arrive at the White House with more experience in the business of sports than any of his predecessors" and could "exercise his power to shape the future of American athletics." Trump will come into DC with an "insider's knowledge of operating sports teams and events -- wisdom he could tap to address some of the thorniest issues facing professional and amateur athletics." He could "appease some of his NFL friends by softening his campaign rhetoric, as many candidates have done after winning the presidency." Or he could "continue hammering the NFL over the quality of its competition and belittle the league for its efforts to reduce brain injuries." Trump "indicated before the presidential campaign that he supported online gambling and has endorsed the fantasy sports industry" (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/10).
