'Only action was to leave': Donald Trump 'gutted' by PGA golf snub
US President Donald Trump is reportedly ‘gutted’ after the PGA Tour made the decision to strip the Trump National Golf Club of its 2022 championship.
Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, which is owned by US President Donald Trump, was officially stripped of the 2022 PGA Championship, the PGA of America said on Sunday.
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“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 of America President Jim Richerson tweeted.
Trump exhorted thousands of supporters to march on the Capitol on Wednesday as Congress met to certify his defeat to Joe Biden, prompting chaos in which crowds breached the building.
Five people died in the rampage.
In response, golf's governing body the R&A said it would not stage any championships at the Trump-owned Turnberry golf course for the foreseeable future.
"We will not return until we are convinced that the focus will be on the championship, the players and the course itself and we do not believe that is achievable in the current circumstances," R&A CEO Martin Slumbers said in a statement.
Turnberry, in South Ayrshire, Scotland, has hosted the Open Championship on four previous occasions, most recently in 2009 when Stewart Cink beat Tom Watson in a playoff.
Trump bought the property in 2014.
But a source close to the White House told New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman that President Trump was ‘gutted’ over the loss.
Potentially more so than the impossibility of being impeached.
“He’s angry about impeachment, people who have spoken to him say. But the reaction to the PGA decision was different order of magnitude,” Haberman wrote.
A lot has happened in the last week, including the president losing his Twitter feed, impeachment coming to the fore and the PGA withdrawing from Trump National. He's "gutted" by the PGA move, a person close to the White House says.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 11, 2021
PGA Tour felt they had no choice
The PGA of America said it was stripping the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster of the 2022 PGA Championship, after a vote by its board of directors.
"It has become clear that conducting the PGA Championship at Trump Bedminster would be detrimental to the PGA of America brand," PGA of America President Jim Richerson said in a video announcing the decision.
PGA President Jim Richerson says the board voted to exercise its right to "terminate the agreement" with Trump National in Bedminster, New Jersey.
"We find ourselves in a political situation not of our making," Seth Waugh, the CEO of the PGA of America, said in a telephone interview.
"We're fiduciaries for our members, for the game, for our mission and for our brand. And how do we best protect that?
"Our feeling was given the tragic events of Wednesday that we could no longer hold it at Bedminster.
"The damage could have been irreparable. The only real course of action was to leave."
A representative for the Trump Organisation said they were "incredibly disappointed" with the PGA of America's decision.
"We have had a beautiful partnership with the PGA of America ... This is a breach of a binding contract and they have no right to terminate the agreement," the representative said.
"As an organisation we have invested many millions of dollars in the 2022 PGA Championship at Trump National Golf Club, Bedminster.
"We will continue to promote the game of golf on every level and remain focused on operating the finest golf courses anywhere in the world."
with AAP and Reuters
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