Trump accepts prominent golf role
Donald Trump has accepted an invitation to become honorary chairman of the 2026 Presidents Cup, placing the American president at the centre of one of golf’s biggest team events. The competition will be held at Medinah Country Club outside Chicago from September 22 to 27. It will also mark Trump’s first public appearance in the Chicago area since his re-election.
According to the official announcement from the PGA Tour, Trump said both teams were “loaded” with talent and confirmed that he expected to attend the tournament. He concluded his statement with a direct message to the host city: “See you in Chicago!” The president had been invited by PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp, who recently succeeded Jay Monahan as the organisation’s commissioner.
This will be Trump’s second appearance as honorary chairman of the Presidents Cup. He previously held the position in 2017, when the tournament was staged at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey, and took part in the televised trophy presentation. Former presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford have also occupied the ceremonial role.
Some golf fans threaten boycott
The appointment has not been welcomed by every golf supporter. According to Sahil Kurup of the Daily Express US, several social-media users said they would refuse to watch the competition because of Trump’s involvement. One wrote: “If President Trump is going to be involved in this, I will not be watching it.”
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Another fan accused Trump of bringing bad luck to the American Ryder Cup team and pledged to boycott the Presidents Cup. A third delivered an even shorter verdict, declaring that there was “no chance” of them watching the tournament. The comments do not amount to an organised boycott, and there is currently no evidence that Trump’s appointment has affected ticket sales, but they illustrate the political division surrounding his participation.
Rolapp has defended the decision by pointing to the tournament’s history of involving serving political leaders from different countries and parties. The PGA Tour executive said Trump’s participation could raise the international profile of the event while supporting its ambition of bringing people together through golf. That claim will be tested at Medinah, where Trump’s presence may attract almost as much attention as the players.
A return to politically hostile territory
The tournament is taking place during another heated confrontation between Trump and political leaders in Chicago and Illinois. According to Tina Sfondeles of the Chicago Sun-Times, Trump recently claimed that violence in Chicago was out of control and warned that the city “will die” without federal intervention. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson responded by accusing the administration of cutting programmes intended to prevent violence.
Medinah Country Club is located in Chicago’s western suburbs rather than inside the city itself, but the tournament will still bring Trump into an area where his relationship with local Democratic leaders remains deeply strained. His sporting visit is officially ceremonial and separate from that political dispute. Nevertheless, the timing makes it unlikely that the Presidents Cup will be treated purely as a golf occasion.
As described by the Chicago Sun-Times in its report on Trump’s appointment, the tournament will feature 24 players, with 12 representing the United States and 12 forming the International Team. European golfers do not participate because they compete against the United States in the Ryder Cup. Brandt Snedeker will captain the American side, while Geoff Ogilvy will lead the International Team.
Trump enters another major team event
The United States has dominated the Presidents Cup since the competition was established in 1994. The American team has won 13 of the previous 15 editions, while the International Team’s only outright victory came in Melbourne in 1998. The 2003 contest in South Africa ended in a 17-17 tie.
Trump also attended the opening day of the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, where the American team later suffered defeat against Europe. His return to another international golf event therefore comes with considerably more political attention than the honorary position would normally attract. For the PGA Tour, the appointment follows tradition, but the early reaction shows that Trump’s presence can turn even a ceremonial role into a divisive story.
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