Pro Golfer Spills the Beans on Trump's Golf Game

'Decent player for a guy in his 70s,' says Rory McIlroy
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 21, 2017 6:05 PM CST
Pro Golfer Spills the Beans on Trump's Golf Game
President Donald Trump speaks after touring the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017, in Washington.   (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

"He's a decent player for a guy in his 70s," pro golfer Rory McIlroy tells No Laying Up after playing a round of golf with President Trump on Sunday. McIlroy, a four-time major champion, says Trump shot "around 80," Business Insider reports. McIlroy is currently sidelined from competitive golf with a stress fracture in his rib but says he decided to tough it out when he got the invite Saturday night to play with the president. McIlroy isn't the only professional golfer to have weighed in on Trump's game. Tiger Woods has previously said Trump "takes a pretty good lash" for a man his age.

But like anything having to do with Trump, Sunday's golf game wasn't without controversy. USA Today reports McIlroy took some heat on the Internet; some pointed out that he had ducked out of the most recent Olympics because they were "too political." On Trump's side, the White House was caught downplaying how much golf the president is playing, according to Politico. The White House originally reported Trump had only played "a few holes" on Sunday, but McIlroy's comments led a spokesperson to admit that Trump decided to "play longer"—a full 18 holes. Trump routinely blasted Barack Obama for playing golf while president. (More Donald Trump stories.)

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