In a new interview with MSNBC, sports journalist Rick Reilly explained the various methods former President Donald Trump uses to cheat at golf.
Reilly, who has golfed with Trump and authored a book detailing the former president's alleged golfing misconduct, debunked Trump's recent boasts of victory at the Trump International Golf Club in Florida. Reilly emphasized that Trump has never secured a championship at a course he doesn't own or control.
He spoke with MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace shortly after Trump bragged about winning two golf tournaments at his own golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he "won" both the Club Championship and Senior Club Championship trophies.
You can hear what he said in the video below.
Congrats Donald: Notorious golf cheater, brags he won two tournaments at his own clubyoutu.be
Reilly said:
“He’s never won a championship at a course he doesn’t own and operate. He’s played in Pebble Beach, he’s played in the Tahoe one, where there are rules and judges and cameras. And in those, he’s never finished in the top half."
"So he wins when anybody who disagrees that he won is out of the club. That’s how he gets it.”
Reilly revealed Trump's exploitation of the informal nature of golf, where players rely on trust due to the absence of referees. Trump reportedly takes advantage by using a high-speed golf cart to gain unfair advantages, such as moving his ball to better positions and sabotaging opponents' shots by kicking their balls into hazards like bunkers.
On this note, Reilly said Trump's “turbo-charged golf cart ... goes three times as fast as yours, so he’s always 200 yards ahead, and that gives him time to cheat.”
The sportswriter recounted an incident in Los Angeles where Trump allegedly splashed his ball into a pond but miraculously found it in the fairway upon his opponents' arrival:
“One time in L.A., he was playing $50 a hole with these three guys, he hits it in the pond. They see the splash."
"By the time they get there, it’s in the middle of the fairway, and they’re like, ‘What the F, Donald?’ And he goes, ‘It must’ve been the tide.’”
Reilly reiterated his previous criticism of Trump cheating “like a mafia accountant” and referred to his latest championships as “fake as Velveeta cheese," feelings likely shared by President Joe Biden, who earlier this week sarcastically congratulated Trump on his "accomplishment."
No one was too surprised to learn that Trump cheats at his favorite past time.
Throughout his presidency, Trump's affinity for golf was undeniable. He frequently spent weekends at his various resorts across the nation, indulging in approximately 240 rounds of golf, predominantly at his Florida and New Jersey courses.
In the aftermath of his presidency, golf has emerged as a particularly lucrative source of revenue for the former President.
According to a Sportico analysis of recent Federal Election Commission disclosures, Trump reported earning up to $555 million from his golf ventures between January 2022 and April 14, 2023. This substantial figure represents nearly half of the $1.2 billion in income he disclosed during that period.
