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The PGA of America severed ties with President Trump when it voted on Sunday to remove the PGA Championship from its New Jersey golf course next year. The vote comes four days after the Trump-fueled riot on the nation’s Capitol, as Congress certified President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory. This is the second time in just over five years that the PGA of America has pulled one of its events out of a Trump course.
PGA President Jim Richerson said the board voted to exercise its right to “terminate the deal” with Trump National in Bedminster, New Jersey.
“We find ourselves in a political situation that is beyond our control,” Seth Waugh, CEO of the PGA of America, said in a telephone interview. “We are trustees for our members, for the game, for our mission and for our brand. And how can we better protect that? Our feeling was, given the tragic events of Wednesday, that we couldn’t stand it anymore. Bedminster. The damage could have been irreparable. The only real solution was to leave. “
The PGA of America, which has some 29,000 golf professionals who primarily teach the game, signed the deal with Trump National in 2014.
He called off the 2015 PGA Grand Slam of golf at the Trump National Los Angeles Golf Club after Mr. Trump’s derogatory remarks about Mexican immigrants when he announced he was seeking nomination as President of the Republicans. The event was canceled for good the following spring.
Wednesday’s shocking insurgency rocked the country and in golf circles attention quickly turned to whether the PGA of America would retain its debut championship – and one of four major championships in golf – on Mr. Trump’s course in 2022.
“Our decision was not about speed and timing,” said Waugh. “What matters most to our board and management is protecting our brand and reputation, and the ability of our members to lead the growth of the game, which they do with so many powerful programs in their communities. ”
The Trump organization said in a statement that it had “a great partnership with the PGA of America and was incredibly disappointed with its decision.”
“This is a breach of a binding contract and they have no right to terminate the agreement,” the statement said. “As an organization, we have invested a lot, several million dollars in the 2022 PGA Championship at Trump National Golf Club, Bedminster. We will continue to promote golf at all levels and remain focused on operating the best golf courses in the world. world.”
Waugh declined to say whether the PGA of America expected legal challenges from the Trump organization.
Mr Trump gave a speech to his supporters in which he repeatedly argued without merit that the election was stolen from him and urged them to “fight.”
They stormed the US Capitol as lawmakers certify Mr. Biden’s victory. After forcing their way inside, the violent mob ransacked the building and sent terrified staff and lawmakers into hiding. Five people, including a Capitol police officer, died.
An ABC News / Ipsos poll released on Sunday found that 67% of respondents said Mr. Trump deserved a “fair amount” or “a lot” of blame for the insurgency.
“It’s not because of the pressures we feel. We don’t have to make a decision,” Waugh said. “We had to make a business decision. It’s a perpetual institution. My job is to convey it better than when I found it. In a hundred years, we still want to be dynamic.”
The PGA of America, which operates separately from the PGA Tour and its week-to-week tournaments, previously hosted the Senior PGA Championship at Mr. Trump’s course outside of Washington in 2017. It was the same year as the USGA hosted the US Women’s Open at Mr. Trump National in Bedminster.
Mr Trump also owns Turnberry in Scotland, one of the most picturesque ties in the British Open rotation, most famous for the “Duel in Sun” between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus in 1977, and most recently Stewart Cink beating a 59-year-old Watson in 2009. The R&A, which determines the rotation of the British Open, has not returned to Turnberry since Mr. Trump took over.
He also owns Trump Doral outside of Miami, for years a venerable stop on the PGA Tour calendar and most recently a world championship golf venue. Mr. Trump’s presence made it difficult to find a corporate sponsor, and the tournament moved to Mexico in 2017.
Waugh said the PGA of America already has a team in place in New Jersey to start selling the events to the public and local sponsorship. Now it is a matter of finding a place to play in the PGA Championship, which dates back to 1916, for next year.
The PGA is on Kiawah Island in South Carolina in May.
“We’ve already had a number of places to reach,” Waugh said. “We think we’ll have a bunch of options.”
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