Donald Trump has announced another golf club championship victory, claiming his 43rd title at his Bedminster course in New Jersey. The former president stated he posted a score of two-under 70 to win the Senior Men’s Club Championship, an event he also secured in 2023 alongside the Super Senior title. His club’s PGA Championship page confirms these wins, including a sole Senior Championship in 2024.
However, the announcement has quickly been met with skepticism online, fueled by viral footage of his play and resurfaced allegations of past rule-bending on the course. This comes just days after Trump’s historic criminal conviction in New York.
Trump’s golf claims under scrutiny
The latest questions surrounding Trump’s golf prowess were amplified by Ron Filipkowski, editor-in-chief of Media Touch and a former attorney, who shared two videos on his X account. One clip, a minute-long montage, features 13 putts that critics have highlighted as unusually short or easily made, suggesting a potentially generous interpretation of the rules.
A second video shows Trump on the fairway shanking a chip shot far to the right, a moment that further fueled online debate regarding his claimed two-under score. Trump himself addressed the win on Truth Social, stating: “I won with a score of 70, and am so honoured in that, unlike the rest of the field, I’m given very little time to practise, because I’m focused on many other things. It’s called TALENT, and I have it, and they don’t!”
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These recent questions echo long-standing allegations of Trump bending the rules on the course. American sports writer Rick Reilly’s book, “Commander in Cheat,” previously suggested Trump blurs lines in golf. Reilly recounted an anecdote from Winged Foot, where Trump is a member, stating that caddies there “got so used to seeing him kick his ball back onto the fairway they came up with a nickname for him: Pele.”
Legal shadows over the links
The golf controversy unfolds just days after Trump made history as the first former or sitting US president to be convicted of a crime. As BBC News reported, a New York jury unanimously found him guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records. The conviction followed a six-week trial that heard from 22 witnesses, including Stormy Daniels, regarding a payment made in the final days of his 2016 election campaign, which prosecutors argued was disguised as legal expenses.
Following the verdict, Trump stated: “This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt.” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, however, affirmed the prosecution’s approach, saying, “Our job is to follow the facts without fear or favour, and that’s what we did here.”
Sentencing for the conviction is scheduled for July 11. Despite the verdict, the conviction does not prevent Trump, 77, from standing in November’s election, as he continues his bid for the White House.
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