Donald Trump recently claimed his 43rd club championship title, winning the Senior and Super Senior Men’s Club Championship at his Bedminster golf course in New Jersey. Trump reportedly carded a 70 on the Par-72 course, a victory that, like many of his golf achievements, has quickly reignited a long-standing debate about his conduct on the links.
Sportswriter Rick Reilly, a frequent critic of Trump’s golf etiquette, took to social media ahead of the 2025 Bedminster championship to openly question the legitimacy of any potential win. Reilly, who has written for The Guardian, has consistently accused the former US President of bending the rules. “When it comes to cheating, he’s an 11 on a scale of one to 10,” Reilly once asserted.
Trump, however, has dismissed Reilly’s claims, stating, “I always thought he was a terrible writer. I absolutely killed him, and he wrote very inaccurately. I would say that he’s a very dishonest writer.”
A contentious defeat to a teenager
The accusations of questionable sportsmanship are not new. In the 2007 Westchester Men’s Club Championship, a 60-year-old Trump faced 15-year-old Adam Levin. Trump held a four-up lead with five holes remaining in the first round, a seemingly comfortable position.
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However, the match took a contentious turn when Trump called two rule violations on Levin. The first was for accidentally touching the grass inside a hazard, and the second for fixing a small ball mark off the green. Despite these penalties, Levin rallied, tying the match on the 18th hole before ultimately eliminating Trump on the second playoff hole.
Levin recalled Trump’s reaction to the loss: “He didn’t even say ‘Congratulations’ or ‘Good match’. He didn’t look me in the eye. He just shook my hand and walked off.” Levin further described Trump’s demeanor throughout the match, noting, “He’d kind of been a d— the whole day. We were together for five or six hours, so there was plenty of time for conversation with me or my parents. But all he ever said was, ‘Isn’t this course fantastic?’ and ‘Aren’t these facilities the best?’ He’s a total a—– with no character.”
A pattern of disputed championships
Beyond individual matches, Trump’s claims of numerous club championships have also faced scrutiny. His boast of winning 18 club championships has been described as a lie by The Guardian, with golfer George “Buddy” Marucci stating he had “nowhere near” that many, possibly “eight. Tops.”
Examples of disputed wins include:
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A plaque at Trump International in West Palm Beach, Florida, lists Trump as a winner in 1999, 2001, and 2009. However, the course was not open in 1999. Then White House spokesperson Hope Hicks admitted, according to The Washington Post, that Trump played in a “soft opening” round on November 1, 1999, with “a group of the early members,” and declared it the club championship.
In 2013, Trump tweeted he had won the club championship again at Trump International. However, the plaque for 2013 lists Tom Roush as the winner. Trump later clarified to his wife, Melania, that he had won the “Super Seniors Club Championship,” which is for players 60 and older, remarking, “Oh, Super Seniors is *better* than just a regular club championship, honey.”
At Trump Bedminster in New Jersey, Trump once claimed a senior club championship victory from 87 miles away. He declared he shot a 73 at his Trump Philadelphia course on the day of the Bedminster tournament and should be declared the winner. A caddy in Philly, however, offered a different account, saying Trump shot “Maybe 82. And that might be generous.”
Another incident at Bedminster saw Trump stop an employee from putting up a new senior club championship winner’s name, instructing him to put his name up instead, stating, “Hey, I beat that guy all the time. Put my name up there instead.”
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These incidents, reported by outlets like GiveMeSport and The Guardian, paint a consistent picture of a competitor whose golf achievements are frequently overshadowed by controversy and accusations of bending the rules, both on and off the course.
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