This decision may wound President Trump as much as losing the election, being banned by TwitterGETTY IMAGES
PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh said the decision to no longer hold the '22 PGA Championship at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., was made because it "became clear to us that our brand was at risk." Appearing on Golf Channel's "Golf Today," Waugh said the PGA Championship is a “big part of our ecosystem," and the decision to sever ties with President Trump was as “much a business decision and a fiduciary decision is really the perspectives that the board came at it from.” PGA of America President Jim Richerson said the “board was most concerned about making sure that we were upholding the PGA of America brand and the game of golf, and we were doing the right thing for our members.” He added, "Right now, in the country, everybody views most any decision that’s being made as political. We try to take politics out of it and again, just get back and focus on our brand.” Waugh: “This is a very weighty decision, and we did an awful lot of thinking about it, a lot of diligence, a lot of scenario analysis, and it certainly isn’t easy. But we think we did it in the right amount of time" (“Golf Today,” Golf Channel, 1/11).
CREATING DISTANCE: GOLFCHANNEL.com's Ryan Lavner wrote finding a new home for the event was the "only reasonable outcome after the past week." What Trump "wanted most was the validation of hosting a men’s major championship, and the PGA offered a stinging rebuke by canceling its contract one year out, acknowledging that the potential damage to its brand and reputation was too great." That "embarrassment may wound Trump as much as losing the election, being banned by Twitter or, possibly, getting impeached a second time" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 1/11). ABC’s Jonathan Karl said the PGA's move is a “big blow" to Trump. Karl: “I am told that the President is livid about this. He was really looking forward to it and had been working very hard on it” (“World News,” ABC, 1/11). PBS’ Yamiche Alcindor said Trump “has apparently been fuming” about the PGA's decision (“NewsHour,” PBS, 1/11).
WILL STING FOR TRUMP: Golfweek's Eamon Lynch said Trump may be the only one “surprised” by the decision. Lynch explained, "I don’t think a lot of people outside of golf understand just how long and how assiduously Donald Trump has actually worked to get a major championship." Lynch noted the PGA's corporate partners would have been under a "tremendous amount of pressure not to actually support the event, the players themselves would have been facing a litany of questions, TV partners would have had to broadcast it as a news/political event and, frankly, Seth Waugh would have had an easier chance to build a snowman in his garden in Florida than he would have selling corporate hospitality for it.” Golf Channel’s Jaime Diaz said, "Like so much of the country and the world, there is just a desire to distance from Donald Trump right now.” Golf Channel’s Jimmy Roberts: “Golf has been criticized for not getting out in front of things enough, but admirable today that they took decisive action” (“Golf Today,” Golf Channel, 1/11).
GOLFERS TURN TO SPEAK OUT: In West Palm Beach, Tom D'Angelo writes the PGA of America has "made the right choice in distancing itself" from President Trump. Now, it is "time for those who play the sport that organization promotes and supports also to condemn those acts by outgoing President Donald Trump" (PALM BEACH POST, 1/12).
